USMNT

Jürgen Klinsmann’s Gold Cup roster was a letdown, and it lacked any vision or imagination. It’s natural to look ahead to what the U.S. National Team should look like after this summer’s Gold Cup.

Under Klinsmann, you can’t really call line-up or roster changes, “changes.” There’s been so much flux and almost hockey-style line-changes under the German coach that there isn’t a regular 11-man line-up where certain players would be replaced by younger options.

In fact, this total absence of a regular line-up or tactics or playing style is the biggest problem with Klinsmann as a coach. The man is essentially chaos personified.

But, using a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, it should theoretically be easy to survey the talent pool and call-up the requisite amount of each type of player.

The formations above help to structure the selection of a roster and line-up, and below World Soccer Source looks at a goalkeeper, a Back Four, a Midfield Three, and a Front Three that the U.S. Men’s National Team should consider using.

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan

Brad Guzan should be the USA’s goalkeeper for the next five years unless Zack Steffen surpasses him sooner. There’s no need for a change in the USA goal.

Back Four: DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Ventura Alvarado, Kellyn Acosta

Right Back: Yedlin

Center Back: Farrell

Center Back: Alvarado

Left Back: Acosta

DeAndre Yedlin is the best American right back in the pool, and just maybe Kellyn Acosta could be the best left back.

Acosta is faster than Greg Garza, and he’s probably a much better defender than Fabian Johnson or Brek Shea.

Acosta is a better combination of skill, defending, and athleticism than other options except for Desevio Payne, and Acosta might actually be a better defensive midfielder or central midfielder than outside back.

In the center of the defense, Andrew Farrell is looking more and more like the type of center back the USMNT needs. Farrell is strong defensively in that he tackles well, has excellent recovery speed, defends the 1v1 well, and is strong in the air, plus Farrell is calm and skilled on the ball. Farrell is also a beast of a defender that is quite intimidating.

His partner should be Ventura Alvarado who checks all the boxes for a modern center back, and he starts for Club America in the center of the defense. Despite some complaints amongst the American fan base, Alvarado is totally legit.

Midfield Three: Dillon Powers, Michael Bradley, Sebastian Lletget

Center Midfielder: Powers

Center Midfielder: Bradley

Attacking Midfielder: Lletget

This is two center midfielders where one is a defensive midfielder by trade plus an attacking midfielder for some more creativity and goalscoring ability. This is a great combination in the midfield.

Paris Saint-Germain uses something similar with Marco Verratti, Blaise Matuidi, and Javier Pastore, and that midfield is outstanding.

In that midfield, Verratti is really a regista (a deep-lying playmaker), and perhaps that’s really Michael Bradley’s true position.

While Bradley is almost a U.S. National Team centurion, Dillon Powers and Sebastian Lletget are excellent MLS midfielders.

Powers plays either as a Number 8 or Number 10 in MLS, but he’s a modern center midfielder that brings excellent technical ability, non-stop running, and strong defending.

Lletget is skillful and creative with a nose for goal; it’s also helpful that he’s fast and quick as well. For an attacking midfielder, he high presses and tracks back on defense well.

Front Three: José Villarreal, Rubio Rubin, Bradford Jamieson IV

Right Wing: Villarreal

Center Forward: Rubin

Left Wing: Jamieson

With José Villarreal out right where he can cut in onto his stronger left foot and Bradford Jamieson IV set loose on the left, the National Team has two technical players that could reach or surpass Clint Dempsey’s level.

The United States has been trying to produce players like these, and both of them come out of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Galaxy’s academy.

In the center, Rubio Rubin is a center forward with everything, and he made it in Europe as a teenager.

Villarreal, Rubin, and Jamieson is a real attacking trident, and surpassing Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey should be a goal for them.

Unlike Donovan and Dempsey, these three attackers will have the advantage of having teammates at their level. Donovan and Dempsey didn’t have this benefit; both of them, with a few exceptions, looked around and usually saw players that just weren’t good enough.

Multiple attackers with excellent technical ability and real quickness and speed will be a new look for the United States, and it’s worth noting that Juan Agudelo also has a strong claim as the starting center forward.

Post Gold Cup National Team XI:

Brad Guzan; DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Ventura Alvarado, Kellyn Acosta; Dillon Powers, Michael Bradley, Sebastian Lletget; José Villarreal, Rubio Rubin, Bradford Jamieson IV.

By: COLIN REESE

The United States Men’s National Team is now ready for the 4-3-3 formation.

Attacking at pace proved to be an effective strategy when the United States beat the Netherlands and Germany in what were close games, and Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, who were both absent from those games, can attack at pace as well.

With Michael Bradley free to push the ball up the field with pace and supported by Mix Diskerud, American forwards like Altidore and Dempsey can thrive since both forwards like to play fast and with the ball at their feet.

If the United States continues to use a defensive midfielder to free up Bradley and Diskerud to play in more advanced positions, then the United States has a recipe for success in the Gold Cup.

A Midfield Three with a defensive midfielder, a center midfielder, and an attacking midfielder isn’t rocket science. Hopefully, the United States continues to start one of each type of midfielder.

Anchoring this midfield, Kyle Beckerman or Perry Kitchen will fill the defensive midfielder role in the Gold Cup, and Bradley and Diskerud can sit in front of them in the midfield with Altidore, Dempsey, and either Juan Agudelo or Alejandro Bedoya as the Front Three.

Joe Corona is another option at right wing/forward as well, if he in fact makes the 23-man roster.

Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States have been trying to play the modern 4-3-3 formation, and this is a 4-3-3 formation that can be successful.

Although Klinsmann has a Back Four in mind, the defensive unit is still up in the air for most observers.

Based on form and skill, DeAndre Yedlin and Greg Garza should be the right back and left back respectively.

In the center of the defense, Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks look to be the best center back tandem despite their miscommunication in marking a few headers that resulted in goals against the Netherlands.

Brad Guzan is obviously the clear first-choice goalkeeper, but the sixth player in the Front Six is debatable.

Working off the assumption that Beckerman or Kitchen, Bradley, Diskerud, Altidore, and Dempsey should fill five of those six spots, then the question again becomes the Bedoya or Agudelo dilemma discussed above.

If you look at skill, athleticism, size, and international performances, then Agudelo is a better player than Bedoya, and Agudelo can play wide or centrally, which helps when using a fluid attacking trident.

Agudelo is a key player for the National Team, and he brings the ability to create his own goals and free up others, and he is too valuable to put on the bench.

Since Agudelo has been playing frequently as a winger for the New England Revolution, it makes since to give him the right forward spot with Dempsey occupying the left forward spot.

As a bonus, Agudelo also provides non-stop running and spirited defending, which helps the USA to recover possession and pressure the defense.

This American Front Six would then look like this:

Bradley Beckerman/Kitchen Diskerud

Agudelo Altidore Dempsey

In the Front Six, Bradley and Diskerud would play in more advanced positions than Beckerman or Kitchen, and Altidore would occupy the Number 9 or center forward spot in what would be a fluid attacking trident.

This formation takes advantage of most of the information learned from not only the United States’ most recent games, but it also uses the general information known about the players in the American player pool.

Klinsmann and the National Team would be wise to not make wholesale changes in a team with momentum.

Since this strategy has worked against top national teams recently, then Klinsmann should simply reinsert Dempsey and Altidore into the line-up with Agudelo at right forward.

On a final note, one small technical variation on the 4-3-3 would be to have Dempsey sit deeper than Altidore and Agudelo as a trequartista, which is somewhat similar to Beckerman providing structure to the midfield by sitting deeper as a defensive midfielder.

In this 4-3-3, Altidore and Agudelo would be the forwards with Dempsey playing as a Number 10 just behind them, and this puts Altidore and Agudelo in a better position to make runs behind the defense.

In either variation, Bradley, Beckerman/Kitchen, and Diskerud are in the midfield while Agudelo, Dempsey, and Altidore make up the Front Three.

Same difference.

Either way, the United States has a viable formula for success and a formation that makes sense given the personnel and the style of play that the National Team wants.

The players and fans responded to the United States going straight at the opposition, and this style of play was a form of defense that put pressure on the opposition the whole game.

Here is what the USMNT’s starting line-up in the 4-3-3 could look like:

USA XI: Brad Guzan; DeAndre Yedlin, Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Greg Garza; Michael Bradley, Perry Kitchen, Mix Diskerud; Juan Agudelo, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey.

By: COLIN REESE

Jürgen Klinsmann hasn’t established a core group of United States Men’s National Team players, nor has he decided upon a preferred starting line-up that has developed chemistry.

This is a problem, and this makes predicting or endorsing a starting line-up for the 2015 Gold Cup difficult.

Questions arise about what the center back pairing should be and what midfielders and attackers play well together.

The Back Four is in the air, and the midfield and attack is in the air.

The 4-3-3 formation is a fluid and safe set-up because it is essentially the same thing as a 4-2-3-1 formation, which you could argue is the most sound formation.

For starters, Brad Guzan deserves to be the starting goalkeeper, and DeAndre Yedlin and Greg Garza deserve to be the starting right back and left back. But what about the center backs?

Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks are likely the best two center backs in the player pool, and despite a few miscommunications on marking headers, both have displayed strong 1v1 defending, good skill on the ball, and athleticism.

Klinsmann should make these two his starting center backs. Both have all the qualities and experience to man the center of the American defense.

The key to the midfield is using Michael Bradley correctly, and this boils down to giving him the freedom to both defend and attack how he sees fit.

If the United States goes with three midfielders, then Geoff Cameron and Mix Diskerud should be the other two midfielders, especial since Klinsmann doesn’t rate Benny Feilhaber.

This midfield would be Cameron as the defensive midfielder, Bradley as the box-to-box midfielder, and Diskerud as the attacking midfielder.

Since Diskerud defends well and tracks back on defense in addition to being a creative playmaker, this trio would work out well.

Cameron’s tireless running, skilled passing, athleticism, technical ability, and his strong defensive fundamentals make him the best defensive midfielder option. Defensive midfielder is after all his natural position.

A middle three of Bradley, Cameron, and Diskerud would be dynamic, balanced, and fluid, and this allows for the type of possession, pressing, and counter-attacking play that Klinsmann wants.

The American attack for this writer is a no-brainer. Juan Agudelo, Jozy Altidore, and Clint Dempsey should be the attacking trident. Agudelo is an excellent center forward and wide player, and this allows the U.S. to have him in the attack along with Altidore.

Dempsey doesn’t need a fixed position, and just lining him out left on paper allows him to roam free. This position out left in the attack is the common place to start a team’s best right-footed attacker, and we see it with top club teams and national teams around the world.

With Yedlin and Garza running the flanks, Agudelo and Dempsey don’t need to hug the sidelines. Agudelo, Altidore, and Dempsey can then combine with one another and swap places as they see fit, and this gives the American attack a certain amount of dynamism that should create more scoring opportunities.

Klinsmann’s revolving door of formations and starting lineups is too chaotic for any real conclusions to be drawn from the USA’s games, so sticking to a rational 4-3-3 made up of talented and experienced players makes more sense.

Most observers and fans of the United States Men’s National Team can likely agree on a Front Six made up of Bradley, Cameron, Diskerud, Agudelo, Altidore, and Dempsey, or at least they can acknowledge that it makes sense and that all of those players are qualified.

Using Alvarado and Brooks as the center backs is more controversial, but the USA needs mobile and technical center backs with good defensive skills, and these two have all of these things.

There are no defenders that never get beaten or lose their man. Being the last line of defense in front of the goalkeeper is a job where mistakes are a guarantee.

Given everything we know going into the 2015 Gold Cup, the following USA XI (4-3-3) makes the most sense:

Guzan; Yedlin, Alvarado, Brooks, Garza; Bradley, Cameron, Diskerud; Agudelo, Altidore, Dempsey.

By: COLIN REESE

After the Mexico friendly and with the 2015 Gold Cup a few months away, World Soccer Source ranks the Best American Footballers (May 2015 Edition).

The players are listed in order in groups of five with their position or positions and their club team. “GK” denotes Goalkeeper. “DF” denotes Defender. “MF” denotes Midfielder. “F” donates Forward.

Here are the rankings:

1-5: Clint Dempsey (F/MF, Seattle Sounders), Michael Bradley (MF, Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (MF, Sporting KC), Jermaine Jones (MF/DF, New England Revolution), Juan Agudelo (F, New England Revolution).

6-10: Jozy Altidore (F, Toronto FC), Geoff Cameron (DF/MF, Stoke City), Ventura Alvarado (DF, Club América), Mix Diskerud (MF, NYC FC), Joe Corona (MF, Club Tijuana).

11-15: Brad Guzan (GK, Aston Villa), Tim Howard (GK, Everton), Alejandro Bedoya (MF, Nantes), DeAndre Yedlin (DF/MF, Tottenham), Greg Garza (DF, Club Tijuana).

16-20: Dillon Powers (MF, Colorado Rapids), Michael Orozco (DF, Puebla), Fabian Johnson (DF/MF, Hoffenheim) Maurice Edu (MF/DF, Philadelphia Union), Charlie Davies (F, New England Revolution).

21-25: Aron Jóhannsson (F, AZ Alkmaar), William Yarbrough (GK, Club León), John Brooks (DF, Hertha Berlin), Andrew Farrell (DF, New England Revolution), Gyasi Zardes (F, LA Galaxy).

26-30:  Kelyn Rowe (MF, New England Revolution), Teal Bunbury (F, New England Revolution), Brek Shea (DF/MF, Orlando City SC), José Villarreal (F/MF, LA Galaxy), Bradford Jamieson IV (F/MF, LA Galaxy).