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Jürgen Klinsmann omitted a shocking amount of proven and talented players from the May/June United States Men’s National Team roster. Whether it was outside backs, center backs, or attacking players, Klinsmann’s newest roster ignores major weaknesses with the USMNT.
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The United States Men’s National Team roster selected to participate in two friendlies (Belgium and Germany) and three World Cup qualifying games (Jamaica, Panama, Honduras) contains several solid, international-caliber selections, but the roster also fails to correct weaknesses in the balance and technical ability of previous rosters.
Commentary:
Does anyone know what Jürgen Klinsmann is doing?
Does Jürgen Klinsmann know what he is doing?
Everyone has to play with the hand they were dealt, but Jürgen Klinsmann is having trouble fielding a proactive United States Men’s National Team in a country with over 300 million people.
Certainly, the very best soccer players on the planet are from countries other than the United States of America, but Klinsmann isn’t exactly short on quality player options.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s principal argument is two-fold: 1.) people from other countries become better at soccer because of their soccer environment; and 2.) American soccer players need to be indoctrinated into his system of playing one-to-two touch soccer.
One flaw with this argument (among other flaws) is that technically-skilled and athletic players like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley were born and raised in the United States, and there are lots of Americans who are fairly close to their playing ability.
This contention that Klinsmann needs to slowly get his group of players to slowly embrace a new style is totally illogical because one-to-two touch soccer is not new to American soccer players, so Klinsmann’s job is to merely select the players who can play that way.
A starting line-up has 11 players, and without any deep thought, it’s easy to think up a skilled starting XI that can play one-to-two touch soccer: Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, Michael Bradley, Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, Juan Agudelo, and Jozy Altidore.
That starting line-up doesn’t even include Landon Donovan and many other skilled players, so what is Klinsmann doing?
The United States has the players that Klinsmann needs to start having the United States playing an improved brand of soccer, so why is Klinsmann avoiding using so many obvious line-ups?
If Klinsmann starts Tim Howard, one of several right backs, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore, then he still has two open roster spots to insert some creative attacking midfielders who can fix the element that’s missing from the line-up listed above: possession in the midfield and shots on goal.
Klinsmann can insert Joe Corona and Benny Feilhaber into the starting line-up or he can insert one of them with another striker to partner with Altidore. Additionally, Klinsmann can use Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu.
So, what is Jürgen Klinsmann doing as coach of the United States Men’s National Team?
Why is he watching the same tactical mistakes play out on the field game after game?
Why won’t Klinsmann insert proven creative players into his line-ups, and why won’t he use many of the very talented and athletic new and/or younger players?
The United States Men’s National Team clearly needs either a new national team coach, or it needs some assistant coaches who can improve Jürgen Klinsmann’s ability to scout talent and make rosters and line-ups.
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Jürgen Klinsmann stated that the American players called up to the roster to face Belgium and Germany would likely be the same players who would appear on the Gold Cup roster. This plan seems to be flawed because the performance of players against Belgium and Germany should affect who Klinsmann calls up to the United States Men’s National Team for the 2013 Gold Cup.
In light of the performances of certain players in Major League Soccer and other leagues and the fact that Klinsmann announced that Stuart Holden would be on the Gold Cup roster, World Soccer Source proposes the following 23 players for the United States’ Gold Cup roster:
Player selection is everything for a national team coach. The players a national team calls up is the single most important talking point for evaluating how a national team coach is doing, and the second most important thing is which players are started.
There are only a handful of players who Jürgen Klinsmann has been regularly calling up to the United States Men’s National Team who are vital players.
Only seven players who Klinsmann regularly calls up are vital players for the USMNT, and two of them are goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey.
There is lots of room for improvement within the Starting XI, while still keeping the international-caliber players who form the backbone of the squad.
The USMNT Starting XI is solid at goalkeeper (Tim Howard), at left back (Fabian Johnson), at the center back spots (Omar Gonzalez and Geoff Cameron), at the defensive midfielder position (Michael Bradley), and at one attacking midfielder position (Clint Dempsey).
Therefore, many of Klinsmann’s Starting XI selections are correct, but it’s the other starters and the rest of the roster that need changing.
On the other hand, many of Klinsmann’s roster selections aren’t better than other options available to Klinsmann, and still others are international-caliber players who are on the roster but go unused.
In the defense, the USMNT benefits from players like Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and Fabian Johnson, but why does the USMNT need Justin Morrow, Matt Besler, Tony Beltran, DaMarcus Beasley (listed as a midfielder), and Clarence Goodson?
That’s five defenders out of eight whose technical-ability or ability to keep up with international attackers is a big question mark.
Klinsmann made a bold decision when he started Gonzalez against Honduras, and now he needs to make another one and put Gale Agbossoumonde on the roster as one of the USMNT’s center back options.
In the midfield, why do players like Kyle Beckerman, Sacha Kljestan, Danny Williams, José Torres, and Brad Davis receive call-ups when the end result is always the same: poor passing and no scoring chances created? To be fair to Kljestan, he doesn’t even get the chance to play when Klinsmann calls him up.
Why do Beckerman, Kljestan, Williams, Torres, and Davis not deserve call-ups?
Beckerman doesn’t have the requisite quickness to display his technical-ability (which is sound) in faster international games.
Kljestan is a fundmentally-sound professional who plays well in Europe, but his technical ability is way below Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, and Freddy Adu. Feilhaber has a history of outperforming Kljestan in international play.
Williams has never demonstrated he has the ability to play anywhere close to Michael Bradley’s or Jermaine Jones’ ability on the international level.
Torres has featured for the United States many times without demonstrating an ability to improve the passing ability of the American midfield, nor has he really produced any final balls.
Torres is also entirely one-footed, and this is the problem with Davis as well. When compared to Feilhaber, Torres and Davis are repeatedly thoroughly outplayed by Feilhaber.
Joe Corona has the ability to improve the United States, but Klinsmann simply refuses to play him. No one plays well against major São Paulo clubs in the Copa Libertadores as an attacking midfielder if he doesn’t have excellent technical ability.
As the public scrutiny and pressure builds, Klinsmann will have to justify how his roster selections and his starting line-up selections are producing the quality of soccer needed to not only qualify for the World Cup but just to improve the play of the United States.
The United States needs a shake-up in the midfield more so than at striker because Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Terrence Boyd, and Eddie Johnson are all international-caliber strikers. Juan Agudelo’s skill, aggressive and creative style of play, and his athleticism warrant a roster spot, but the primary problem is the connection between the midfield and the attack.
Jürgen Klinsmann would be wise to keep much of the backbone of his starting line-ups, but he should insert some better players (Joe Corona and Benny Feilhaber) to play with that backbone. He should also fill the rest of the roster with international-caliber players who can be used as substitutes or even started, if they showed that they could improve the United States’ play.
Comment:
It’s time for Jürgen Klinsmann to roll up the yoga mats and lead from the front.
Klinsmann has never even attempted to field line-ups to play the type of proactive soccer he promised.
Tab Ramos now seems more like the right person to coach the United States Men’s National Team.
The reason for hiring Klinsmann was to hire a coach who would be more willing to call up and play the types of players who could raise the quality of the United States Men’s National Team’s play. Instead, the United States got a more defensive coach than Bob Bradley.
Putting players on the field who can play at Clint Dempsey’s, Michael Bradley’s, Geoff Cameron’s, and Benny Feilhaber’s level will require change, lots of change.
The players listed above aren’t satisfied with trying to merely put in a good showing against top national teams; they want to quickly move the ball around the field and win.
How far are Jürgen Klinsmann and his staff willing to go to use players who can play one-to-two touch soccer with the world’s best?
Klinsmann and company will have to call up a new type of USMNT roster and actually use the players with all the tools and gifts to improve the USMNT, but many of them are considered “raw,” “inexperienced,” “unproven,” and “too young” for many Americans.
The coaching staff of the United States Men’s National Team needs to make changes and call up the following players for international play:
Fielding a line-up that is strong defensively and offensively is only Jürgen Klinsmann’s first step in having a United States Men’s National Team that will be truly respected around the world as a team capable of beating top national teams.
For now, the United States, which means Klinsmann, needs to start a group of players with the ability to win in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Setting aside the laundry list of players frozen out of the United States Men’s National Team by Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States is now two starting line-up changes away from proactive soccer: Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber.
Klinsmann likes to use Tim Howard, Timothy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore, and all of those players can produce the type of one-to-two touch soccer that breeds victories.
Despite the loss to Honduras, that starting XI fielded by Klinsmann was really close to being a strong and balanced line-up.
Even though the starting line-up used to face Honduras was close to being a balanced and talented starting XI, every Klinsmann line-up has the same fatal flaw of not including the personnel needed to attack and maintain possession.
On the one hand, Klinsmann has sometimes been close to fielding balanced and talented line-ups, but, on the other hand, his failure to include the right mixture of defensive and attacking midfielders has allowed teams like Honduras and numerous others before them to pass the United States Men’s National Team off the park and create scoring chances.
Even though some of the players listed above are open to debate, none of them are liabilities or inexperienced players.
Specifically, Jozy Altidore has received a lot of criticism for his lack of shots on goal and goals scored for the USMNT, but the types of goals he has scored in Holland as well as his goal-scoring rate there indicate that the primary reason for the United States’ lack of scoring is really a lack of final balls and skilled passing.
Klinsmann certainly has made a lot of decisions worthy of criticism and questioning, but like World Soccer Source has discussed before, the starting line-up chosen to face Honduras was almost a totally balanced and essentially full strength line-up.
Feilhaber and Donovan were particularly singled out above as deserving of a starting spot for the United States because they can strengthen the U.S.’ weaknesses with proven skill-sets at the international level.
If Bradley and Jones are played deep as defensive midfielders and pseudo-box-to-box midfielders with Donovan, Feilhaber, and Dempsey in front of them from right to left, then the United States has five midfielders who can maintain possession, regain possession, and ensure that Altidore receives adequate service up top.
Adding Donovan and Feilhaber to the starting line-up used in the loss to Honduras means that Danny Williams and Eddie Johnson would be relegated to the bench.
The essential thing to remember about the line-up proposed is that while it uses 11 skilled, proven, and athletic players, it can be adjusted during the game if the roster also includes people with the skill and athleticism to play if a change is needed for whatever reason.
There’s no reason to think the United States doesn’t have the personnel to start playing better in World Cup qualifying, but Klinsmann’s continued refusal to make any sort of tactical changes to the players used in the midfield and up top is a reason for concern.
Donovan and Feilhaber correct this primary flaw with Klinsmann’s tactics.
Donovan brings technical ability, speed, experience, assists, and goals, and Feilhaber provides the creativity to be the missing passing link between players like Jones and Bradley and attackers like Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore.
Additionally, Feilhaber’s passing and movement of the ball put the American midfield in a passing rhythm (a favorite Klinsmann term) where he improves the passing and scoring threat of the team.
More technically-skilled players used at the same time produce a more attractive and effective style of play where all of the players can combine with each other and play off each other.
Donovan allows Dempsey and Altidore to have another elite player to combine with in the final third and elsewhere, and Feilhaber brings the vision and passing ability to break down defenses (and the ability to also score himself).
As in the past, Klinsmann needs to keep using the skilled and effective players he does use, but he needs to incorporate Donovan and Feilhaber to form a cohesive United States Men’s National Team that can defend, maintain possession, and create scoring chances.
His current line-ups never do all three of those things in the same game, and they almost never create a reasonable amount of scoring chances.
Tactics and style of play are entirely dependent on the skill level and the athleticism of the players started and used, and the United States Men’s National Team can no longer afford to use players who don’t have the ability to play with a high level of technical skill even when the speed of play and the quality of the opponents increase.
The line-up proposed here is a balanced line-up made up of proven players who all fulfill certain roles to form a cohesive unit.
The United States not only needs substitutes for every one of these players but also players on the roster to allow Klinsmann to alter his formations and tactics depending on the opponent.
Proposed Starting XI That Should Satisfy Klinsmann’s Requirements For Now: Howard; Chandler, Gonzalez, Cameron, Johnson; Bradley, Jones; Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey; Altidore
*Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team have four solid playmaker options:
It’s a mystery why Jürgen Klinsmann doesn’t always put Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and George John on the United States Men’s National Team roster as three of the four center backs. In the list below, World Soccer Source ranks George John fourth in the USMNT center back depth chart (below Gale Agbossoumonde). Both Soccer America and Soccer By Ives have ranked American center backs, but World Soccer Source believes those rankings don’t include many of the center backs with the athleticism and skill to help the United States improve as a national team on the international level.
Commentary:
Jürgen Klinsmann’s starting line-ups make no sense.
The United States Men’s National Team can improve immediately if the right combination of Jürgen Klinsmann regulars are started with some newer and not so new proven players.
The recipe is simple: keep Tim Howard, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey in the starting line-up, and then add Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Juan Agudelo, and Jonathan Spector .
This gives the United States a solid goalkeeper, four capable and proven defenders, a balanced midfield that can pass, and a more creative and talented young striker in Juan Agudelo.
This line-up is not necessarily the very best option for the United States, but it is a proven and balanced one, which can greatly improve the United States’ play before a more radical overhaul is attempted.
Since Klinsmann likes to use at least two defensive midfielders, then he should start three attacking midfielders in front of them in a four-two-three-one formation.
Here is why the following players should be started:
Goalkeeper: Tim HOWARD (Everton)
The United States Men’s National Team doesn’t have a problem with its goalkeepers, and Howard continues to provide several world-class saves every friendly and World Cup qualifier that prevent the United States from losing. Howard is a proven international and English Premier League goalkeeper, and the United States would have lost a lot of World Cup qualifiers under Jürgen Klinsmann if Howard hadn’t made all the saves that he did.
Right Back: Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)
Many Americans easily forget how well Jonathan Spector has consistently played against even the most elite international opponents like Spain and Brazil. Using Jonathan Spector gives Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team, the confidence that an experienced and proven player is being used who is also much younger than Steve Cherundolo.
Center Back: Omar GONZALEZ (LA Galaxy)
Omar Gonzalez has demonstrated that he has the skill and athleticism plus the obvious defensive qualities to play international soccer for the United States, and he is a big upgrade to the skill and athleticism of Carlos Bocanegra and Clarence Goodson.
Geoff Cameron is better and more athletic than Gonzalez, but Gonzalez is a very talented center back who is perhaps a safer choice than tossing some of the younger American center backs into the fire.
Center Back: Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)
One of the main problems for the United States over the years has been the weakness in the center of the American defense, and Cameron strengthened this weakness when he was finally used as a center back for the United States.
Cameron brings a new level of skill, athleticism, and coolness under pressure to the center of the American defense, and he needs to be played as a center back so the United States can play up to its full potential.
Starting Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez lowers the chances of the American defense being frequently beaten.
Left Back: Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)
There’s not a good reason to not start Fabian Johnson at left back because he’s simply too good. While some of the back ups at outside back who Klinsmann has put on the roster are suspect, Fabian Johnson is a good starting selection.
Starting Gonzalez, Cameron, and Johnson allows for a defensive set-up that is solid and fairly well-tested, and inserting an experienced player like Jonathan Spector at right back is a safe and good choice.
Defensive Midfielder: Michael BRADLEY (Roma)
Contrary to what many Americans think, Bradley is a defensive midfielder. Bradley isn’t strictly a midfield destroyer who always hangs back deep to break up the passing of the opposition, but he is a defensive midfielder.
Bradley fulfills an important role: he breaks up the passing of the opposition, he provides a passing outlet for the defensive back four, he drops back deep to essentially play as a fifth defender, and he actively participates in the passing play of the United States’ midfield.
Playing at his natural position doesn’t hinder Bradley’s involvement in the game, but it allows him to be a main participant in the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.
Michael Bradley’s more defensive midfield role is equally as important as Clint Dempsey’s more attacking role.
Defensive Midfielder: Jermaine JONES (Schalke)
No one plays in the Bundesliga and the Champions League for a team like Schalke without world-class technical ability. The German clubs don’t let players play whose technical ability and fundamentals are a liability.
The question with Jones is whether or not the United States needs to start Michael Bradley and Jones at the same time, as there are already four defenders and a goalkeeper. Using two defensive midfielders is certainly common, and it may or may not be overly defensive depending on the other players making up the front six of the starting XI.
Right Attacking Midfielder: Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)
While there are a number of talented attacking midfielders in the pool who Jürgen Klinsmann has basically refused to use even if he calls them up, Klinsmann does like Landon Donovan. A great first step for the improvement of the passing and quality of play of the USMNT would be to start Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and a playmaker in a line of three in front of the defensive midfield tandem of Jones and Bradley.
Central Attacking Midfielder: Benny FEILHABER (Sporting KC)
At this point, Klinsmann needs to accept the reality that he cannot simply continue to field starting line-ups without the personnel to produce good passing and shots on goal. Benny Feilhaber is a proven playmaker at the international level, and using one playmaker to balance defensive midfielder heavy formations is reasonable and necessary.
By choosing to start Feilhaber with Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley, Klinsmann is using a formation which is not risky or experimental, but rather one with a proven track record of success.
Left Attacking Midfielder: Clint DEMPSEY (Tottenham)
It’s important that Clint Dempsey not be tasked with the role of a playmaker because Dempsey’s game is built on attacking the goal and being one of the targets for final balls as opposed to being required to play as a true playmaker, which is exactly what Klinsmann makes him do.
By starting Benny Feilhaber, Dempsey is free to roam around making runs and play off a playmaker. When Feilhaber is used as a playmaker, Dempsey has a teammate who can combine with him and play him the types of passes Dempsey is looking for.
Striker: Juan AGUDELO (Chivas USA)
Taking nothing away from Jozy Altidore’s goal-scoring rate this season or his improved technical skills, Juan Agudelo is a more graceful and technically-skilled striker than Jozy Altidore with the same size and athleticism.
Altidore is stronger than Agudelo, but Agudelo is a powerful and crafty striker who attacks the goal more than Altidore.
In short, Agudelo offers Altidore’s athleticism with higher marks for creativity, smoothness, aggressive play, and technical ability.
Agudelo has never had any problems playing against elite international competition, and unlike Altidore, Agudelo poses more of a scoring threat in international soccer by involving himself in the game more than Altidore .
Agudelo has more experience with the United States Men’s National Team than Terrence Boyd, so Agudelo is a safer pick if the goal is to improve the United States’ play by using experienced players who are better than some of the players currently used by Klinsmann. Nevertheless, Boyd would also bring more of a goal-scoring threat than Altidore.
Outlook:
If Jürgen Klinsmann fields something along the lines of the starting line-up proposed above, then the United States will see a vast improvement in the ability of the team to keep possession of the ball in all areas of the field and an improvement in its ability to attack its opponents.
This is an easy change to make that doesn’t require experimentation or using inexperienced players in vital World Cup qualifiers.
Nevertheless, it would be a mistake for Klinsmann to not allow Joe Corona, Terrence Boyd, and Freddy Adu to see more playing time for the USMNT, and many players like Joe Gyau, Perry Kitchen, Mario Rodriguez, José Villarreal, Gale Agbossoumonde, Andrew Farrell, and Chris Klute should be watched closely and tested.