Joe Corona and Clint Dempsey flanking Juan Agudelo on paper but really playing as attacking midfielders behind Agudelo is a big attacking upgrade for the United States Men’s National Team.
Those three players added to an American midfield comprised of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Benji Joya discussed in a previous article make for a formidable Front Six entirely made up of technically-skilled and athletic players with the ability to play high quality soccer.
On paper this is a 4-3-3 formation, but it’s really the same as the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey form the attacking midfield portion of the Front Six, and Bradley is the defensive midfielder lining up in front of the Back Four. Joya is a two-way central midfielder than defends and attacks in addition to helping to link Bradley to the likes of Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey.
In the same way, Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey help to make sure Agudelo sees plenty of the ball in the attacking third to maximize his effectiveness as a striker and goal-scorer.
This trident of Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey is a departure from the formula Jürgen Klinsmann planned on using in the World Cup before Jozy Altidore was injured in the first game. Klinsmann appeared to be banking on Dempsey alone being the only real link between the midfield and the attack, but the trident as described above allows for a much more potent attack made up of more attackers that can combine with one another and create more scoring chances and hopefully finish them.
Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey all passing and moving and swirling around in the attacking third makes for a much more fluid and dynamic combination of attackers who pass and move as opposed to just leaving Dempsey and Altidore isolated up top with no consistent service other than long balls.
The best choice of players is subjective but a midfield of Bradley, Feilhaber, and Joya behind an attack of Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey is a big step in the right direction for the United States that is still considered a national team that lacks collective technical skill and inventive play by most of the world that admires the Americans’ determination, teamwork, and work rate but little else.
While many Americans love that their national team is known around the world for its mental toughness and running, this is another way of saying that Americans run a lot but lack the skill needed to consistently create scoring chances and beat top national teams from the run of play.
Using the Corona, Agudelo, and Dempsey trident is a way to immediately bolster the inventiveness, attacking skill, and dynamism of the American attack, and the United States would be wise to use these players who have all proven their worth either on the club level or internationally or both.
Another way to think of this trident is actually Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey forming the line of three attacking midfielders behind Agudelo, but Corona and Dempsey are both forward-midfield hybrids that look to score and get into the penalty box.
Below is the three-man USMNT attack that World Soccer Source backs for success.
The goal to improve the quality of American soccer and of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) marches on, and the gap remains between the amount of quality possession and technical soccer that the USA plays and other national teams play.
While it’s vital to have a defense made up of quality defenders with good athleticism and skill on the ball and while it’s important to have attackers that can finish scoring chances and create scoring opportunities, the midfield is where the real battle is waged.
The need to have better link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attack has been harped upon by observers of the USMNT, so there is no disagreement among observers that this element of the United States’ play needs to be improved.
If Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones both start for the United States, then there is still not enough of a link-up midfielder and attacking midfielder in the Starting XI to solve the problem of poor passing and little creativity in the midfield.
Out of all of the players in the American player pool, perhaps none other than Benny Feilhaber is more equipped right now to provide the type of link-up play and creativity that is missing from the national team.
Given all of the praise that Feilhaber has received for his improved defense and two-way play along with his drastically improved fitness levels, it is only logical for Feilhaber to be the first name that needs to be added to the American midfield with Bradley, since the only real criticism of Feilhaber in the past was that he didn’t play enough defense.
Maybe it’s also time to start thinking of a box-to-box midfielder or central midfielder to take Jones’ place, even if Jones is still going strong and looking very fit as he approaches 33.
Who should Jones’ replacement be? Benji Joya or Dillon Powers.
The USMNT roster needs both Joya and Powers, but Joya is the more technical, quick, and creative of the two for the Starting XI. Powers might be a better combination of defending and attacking than Joya, but Joya’s work rate and defending are still excellent. To be clear, Powers is a skilled passer and technical player that knows how to set up goals and score goals, and his gifts and skills look high-caliber.
Although Bradley has been marketed as more of an attacking and creative player than he really is, the USA needs Bradley lining up in front of the defense where he can protect the Back Four and help to orchestrate the passing. Bradley is the best American defensive midfielder.
His tireless running and intense but clean tackling are huge assets to the American midfield, and they are invaluable to the center backs and outside backs for whom he is providing defensive coverage.
Bradley’s two-footed passing can help the United States to work the ball out of the back with possession, and as a defensive midfielder he can be a passing outlet for the defense.
One complaint about Jones has been his sometimes dirty tackling and knack for getting cards, and although this wasn’t a problem in the World Cup, Bradley doesn’t have this same problem with dirty tackling.
An American midfield comprised of Bradley, Feilhaber, and Joya gives the USA defensive coverage, technical players, and skilled passers in the midfield, and players like Joe Corona and Clint Dempsey lining up out right and left as attackers that drift inside and sort of form part of the midfield gives the United States enough skilled passers and gifted players in between the defense and the striker to produce the sort of improved possession and overall play that Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States are looking for.
To progress with the times and improve, the United States should think of its midfield as a three-player system composed of a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and a playmaker, and these players are listed below.
Defensive Midfielder: Michael BRADLEY
Playmaker: Benny FEILHABER
Central Midfielder: Benji JOYA
The reason that Corona and Dempsey are not listed to make the midfield a five-man system is because they are forward-midfield hybrids that help to provide more support for the striker and more link-up play for the midfielders.
Since Feilhaber has become a much fitter and much more two-way midfielder, his creativity, vision, and technical skill can be bolstered by having players like Corona and Dempsey to combine with, and let’s not forget Joya who is a complete midfielder with the attacking skill, speed, and quickness to be used as an attacker.
Bradley, Feilhaber, Joya, Corona, and Dempsey behind either Jozy Altidore or Juan Agudelo is a strong and balanced American midfield and attack that improves the overall technical ability of the national team, which is what all American soccer fans want to see now and in future games and touraments.
Chris Klute, the Best American Left Back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
By: COLIN REESE
DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, and Chris Klute. The new USMNT defense.
Before going any further, it’s important to point out immediately that Fabian Johnson has a really strong cases as a starter over Chris Klute.
Johnson has received rave reviews on the club and international level for his play as a left back and right back, and anyone that has seen him play knows his attacking quality, overall skill-level, two-footedness, and speed.
The Klute over Johnson opinion is based on the fact that Klute is more of a defender than Johnson and better at tracking back on defense sooner and not leaving open space behind him, and Klute is a lightning-fast player.
Johnson is a converted winger who is essentially world-class as a winger on either side who also does play the right and left back positions really well from an attacking standpoint, but Klute is a better defender who still excels at participating in the attack and playing crosses and passes from the flanks.
Johnson is a more technical attacker, but Klute is a better defender. Both players excel as left backs or as right backs.
Klute is a technical and two-footed player with underrated dribbling ability, but Johnson is a much more talented player in terms of his overall technical ability and attacking skills. Johnson can score goals, and Klute just doesn’t have the same ability to cut inside and score.
This is one of the the weapons that Klute needs to add to his game. His speed and ability to use both feet would be more dangerous if he looked to take shots and score more often than he does now.
But, if the USA wants a fast and modern two-way outside back, Klute provides much better defending while still bringing a constant attacking threat out wide. Klute’s speed is also something that is just an enormous weapon defensively and offensively.
Whatever gap there is between Klute’s technical ability and Johnson’s is made up for with the speed that Klute uses to track down attackers, to burst down the sideline in the attack, to cut off passes, to make tackles, and to dribble out of the back.
Perhaps the best use of Johnson is as a winger in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, but this would take a starting spot from Corona who knows how to orchestrate an attack and score and Dempsey who brings so much scoring ability and trickery to the attack.
Going forward, Yedlin and Cameron are the clear starting right back and right center back, and Brooks is a more complete and younger center back than Matt Besler who has done well for the United States and Sporting Kansas City.
The ability of Yedlin and Klute to get forward in the attack with pace and their ability to catch and defend speedy attackers make them the outside backs that the United States needs the most in the USMNT XI.
With Cameron and Brooks as the center back pairing and Yedlin and Klute as the outside back pairing, the United States has the type of defense that it’s looking for: a fast and technical one with strong defending.
Although this Back Four is a strong one and the type that the United States needs, the USMNT still needs to give Maurice Edu more minutes as a center back with Geoff Cameron, and Fabian Johnson and Chris Klute need to be tested against one another.
The Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute Back Four looks to be a strong one, but each of those positions need second-choice options, plus Johnson’s best role needs to be discovered.
As World Soccer Source will back a three-man midfield of Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Benji Joya in a latter article, in addition to an attack of Joe Corona, Juan Agudelo, and Clint Dempsey, Fabian Johnson’s attacking skill as a two-footed winger who excels on either side makes him a starting winger for most observers.
Maybe having Feilhaber and Corona in the Starting XI would cause those players to get in each other’s way, or maybe it’s necessary to have two playmakers like that for the USA to see better possession and create more scoring chances. Either way, Johnson is a lock on the roster, but really ironing out the best USA XI will take some experimentation and time.
For now, a Back Four of Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, and Klute is a good starting point for the American defense, and Klute is more of an outside back than Johnson who really plays his best as a winger on either side.
Here is the USA Back Four that World Soccer Source supports:
According to World Soccer Source, here is the Best USMNT 23 as of August 2014:
GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Cody CROPPER
DEFENDERS: Geoff CAMERON, John BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Andrew FARRELL, DeAndre YEDLIN, Chris KLUTE, Kofi SARKODIE, Kellyn ACOSTA
MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Benny FEILHABER, Maurice EDU, Fabian JOHNSON, Joe CORONA, Benji JOYA, Dillon POWERS
ATTACKERS: Clint DEMPSEY, Jozy ALTIDORE, Julian GREEN, Juan AGUDELO
Roster Notes:
– Center Back is a deep position on this roster. Cameron, Brooks, O’Neill, and Farrell are center backs, as is Edu. Brooks is naturally left-footed, so the United States has a clear left center back starter, not to mention Cameron and O’Neill who are perfectly comfortable and capable playing left center back or right center back. Cameron is the obvious right center back starter.
– Klute and Acosta play as right backs or left backs, and Yedlin and Sarkodie are really just right backs (although Yedlin can play left back). Farrell is also a right back.
– Bradley and Edu are listed as the defensive midfielders, but Cameron and O’Neill also excel in this role. Farrell is also known to do well as a midfield destroyer.
– Joya, Powers, Bradley, and Edu are all box-to-box midfielders in addition to other positions that they play whether those be defensive midfielders in Bradley’s and Edu’s case or playmakers in Joya’s and Powers’s case.
– Dempsey, Corona, F. Johnson, Green, and Joya can all play as wings on either side of the field.
– Dempsey and Green are midfield-forward hybrids that can play as second strikers or as wings.
– Altidore, and Agudelo are the Number 9s or first strikers on this roster, which gives the United States two out-and-out strikers in order to avoid the 2014 World Cup scenario where the roster only included one fully-healthy and quality striker, Altidore, who was injured in the first game. Aron Jóhannsson appears to have been playing injured even before the 2014 World Cup.
– Fabian Johnson listed as a midfielder because his best position is as a right or left winger, but Johnson is obviously a international-caliber right back or left back.
– Clear playmakers are present on this roster. Feilhaber and Corona are naturally central attacking midfielders, but Joya and Powers also excel in this role. Dempsey shines in this role as well where he’s really playing as a withdrawn striker, which is a variation of the central attacking midfielder.
– Each position of the 4-2-3-1 is at least two players deep on this roster, and the flexibility of so many of the players gives the United States plenty of tactical options and formation choices, including the fluid 4-3-3 formation.
With two international friendlies on the horizon, the United States Men’s National Team has to look to improve its mediocre passing in the 2014 World Cup, and it’s time to take stock of the player pool.
The 4-3-3 formation quickly becomes the 4-2-3-1 formation, but thinking of the USMNT as a 4-3-3 formation is a convenient way to list a balanced midfield and attack in a sport where players’ positions are so fluid.
As some attacking midfielders that play wide or centrally are referred to as forwards or attackers nowadays while other similar players are listed as midfielders, fielding a midfield three comprised of a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, and a playmaker or central attacking midfielder is a simple and logical way begin forming a USA XI.
Most of this is semantics, and the important things are to have defensive coverage in front of the defense and to have link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attacking players.
Nevertheless, selecting a defensive midfielder, a two-way central midfielder, and a playmaker is a great method to ensure that the USA has a nice balance of players in the midfield.
AS Roma is associate with the 4-3-3, and that’s exactly the type of soccer that the United States is looking to play – proactive with an organized and traditional defense made up of two-way outside backs and two center backs.
Tab Ramos in an interview with Soccer America explained how his U-20 USMNT roster from the last U-20 World Cup had Will Trapp as the defensive midfielder, Benji Joya as the box-to-box midfielder, and Luis Gil as the Number 10.
It’s easy to see how this playing philosophy demonstrates a strong fundamental understanding of how to field a midfield that is a balance between defending and attacking.
In addition to the three types of midfielders listed above, let some of the wingers or wide attacking midfielders that like to cut inside be listed as forwards if that makes selecting a balanced roster easier.
The important thing is to be two players deep at all 11 positions in a common and proven tactical formation such as the 4-2-3-1, the 4-3-3, or the 4-1-4-1. The players on the field are just going to move around constantly anyway.
Putting two defensive midfielders, two box-to-box midfielders, and two playmakers on the 23-man roster eliminates the problem that the United States had in the 2014 World Cup: no link-up play between the defensive midfielders and the attack.
For the United States right now, the midfield has to begin with Michael Bradley as the defensive midfielder, and Benny Feilhaber continues to make his case as the best American playmaker in the pool, plus he has the international experience and success to back up this claim.
Selecting a box-to-box midfielder is more difficult and controversial for many people. Should the USA go with a new talent like Benji Joya or Dillon Powers, or is it too soon?
Landon Donovan, DeAndre Yedlin, and Juan Agudelo have all debunked the belief that young and inexperienced American players can’t deliver on the international level, and Joya is at the top of the list as far as young American box-to-box midfielders go.
By all accounts, Joya is the central midfielder that will be a fixture for the USMNT for the next 10 plus years.
Dillon Powers is another option, and perhaps he should already be thought of as the second-choice box-to-box midfielder behind Joya.
Either way, Joya and Powers are ready to be on the roster now because the best you can do is pick your best players for each position even if they aren’t too experienced internationally.
Talented young players need to be allowed to play to keep a club or national team with a steady pipeline of talent with playing time.
The other advantage of both Joya and Powers on the roster is that the USA does have the option of using a midfield three comprised of two box-to-box midfielders with a defensive midfielder.
With two box-to-box midfielders flanking a defensive midfielder, the playmaker on paper can just be in the front line of three attackers who will all be constantly moving, roaming around, and swapping positions with one another, except for the striker who should be playing higher and looking to stretch the defense.
For simplicity’s sake, a three-man midfield made up of Joya, Bradley, and Feilhaber is a technical and athletic group that are all two way players with some differing skill-sets.
The four-man defense should be a foregone conclusion. Whether one chooses Fabian Johnson or Chris Klute as the left back, the USA Back Four should be DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, and Johnson or Klute.
The argument can be made for Matt Besler as the left center back, but Brooks is a better 1v1 defender, more two-footed, and a Bundesliga starter. Brooks is therefore a better defender and a better soccer player than Besler, plus he’s younger. This makes Brooks the better option.
The three-man attack is really two attacking midfielders plus a striker. With Joe Corona out right and Clint Dempsey out left, both players can cut inside, play wide, and float behind Juan Agudelo who is the most talented and complete striker in the American pool.
Both Corona and Dempsey are attacking midfielders that are always looking to score and to get into the penalty box, so using these two players behind Agudelo gives the American attack lots of combination play and goal-scoring ability.
In many ways this set-up is just a 4-2-3-1 in disguise (with Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey as the line of three), but listing it as a 4-3-3 is a convenient way to separate the midfielders with the midfield-forward hybrids like Corona and Dempsey.
Bradley and Joya would be the line of two defensive midfielders – with Joya being the box-to-box midfielder and Bradley being the stay-at-home defensive midfielder. Corona, Feilhaber, and Dempsey would be the line of three attacking midfielders, and Agudelo would be the striker.
This sort of balanced and organized tactical set-up would allow the United States to maximize its talent while not continuing to play too defensively without the link-up players needed to have an effective and technical attack.
What would a USMNT 4-3-3 look like?
GUZAN
YEDLIN CAMERON BROOKS KLUTE/JOHNSON
JOYA BRADLEY FEILHABER
CORONA AGUDELO DEMPSEY
– This USA XI includes four lines of players comprised of a goalkeeper, a defense, a midfield, and an attack.
– Specifically, this 4-3-3- has a goalkeeper, a right back, two center backs, a left back, a box-to-box midfielder, a defensive midfielder, a playmaker, two attacking midfielders that line up out wide and cut inside, and a striker.
– With this USA XI, it’s also easy to select a suitable back-up for each of the 10 field positions, plus two more goalkeepers.
Chris Klute (arms raised). (Photo: USA Today SPORTS)
By: COLIN REESE
Many American soccer writers, commentators, pundits, and fans won’t ever even consider the use of young and inexperienced American players on the United States Men’s National Team because those players aren’t the current starters, so there’s never any real pressure placed on the USMNT to conduct an actual examination of the player pool, which holds the United States back.
Better national teams are comprised of players playing in top European or Latin American leagues, so although the World Cup or international play is a different animal, new players’ club play offers up a sense of how they will perform at the international level against top competition.
Cruising along with the status quo is a bad strategy for the USMNT to close the gap with first and second-tier national teams.
The United States needs to start bringing new and talented players into the fold and see how they do. If these players don’t appear to be capable of playing well at the international level after several appearances, then other players should be tried out.
U.S. Soccer keeps a list of players in the pool, but there definitely needs to be a list of around 100 players organized by position that need to be monitored.
Here, World Soccer Source identifies 12 players from the United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup squad that Jürgen Klinsmann should continue to use, and 11 new players that are needed to fill the remaining roster spots and improve the national team are also identified.
PLAYERS THE USMNT SHOULD KEEP:
GK: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN
CB: Geoff CAMERON, John BROOKS
OB: DeAndre YEDLIN, Fabian JOHNSON
DM: Jermaine JONES, Michael BRADLEY
AM: Clint DEMPSEY, Mix DISKERUD, Julian GREEN
S: Jozy ALTIDORE
PLAYERS THE USMNT SHOULD DROP/ADD:
OUT: Nick RIMANDO
IN: Cody CROPPER
OUT: Omar GONZALEZ
IN: Shane O’NEILL
OUT: Matt BESLER
IN: Michael OROZCO
OUT: DaMarcus BEASLEY
IN: Chris KLUTE
OUT: Timothy CHANDLER
IN: Kellyn ACOSTA
OUT: Kyle BECKERMAN
IN: Maurice EDU
OUT: Alejandro BEDOYA
IN: Joe CORONA
OUT: Brad DAVIS
IN: Benji JOYA
OUT: Graham ZUSI
IN: Dillon POWERS
OUT: Chris WONDOLOWSKI
IN: Juan AGUDELO
OUT: Aron JÓHANNSSON
IN: Benny FEILHABER*
*Not a like-for-like switch but the final roster has a first and second choice option for each spot in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Looking at the depth chart for the United States Men’s National Team by position in a 4-2-3-1 formation is an organized and logical way to go about evaluating the depth chart of the United States.
Below is an examination of a first and second choice option for each of the 11 positions in the 4-2-3-1 formation (and some of these players can play multiple positions or on more than one side of the field):
GOALKEEPERS:
1. Tim HOWARD
– Tim Howard proved that he is still the best current American goalkeeper with his performance in the World Cup, but Brad Guzan is arguably just as good.
2. Brad GUZAN
– Whether or not Brad Guzan is better than Tim Howard won’t be known until Guzan sees more minutes with the USMNT, but Guzan has certainly shown that there is no drop-off when he starts over Howard.
RIGHT BACKS:
1. DeAndre YEDLIN
– Given his consistently high level of play at such a young age in MLS, DeAndre Yedlin should not have been a controversial pick for the USA’s World Cup squad, but he was. Yedlin showed his two-way threat in the World Cup where his attacking and technical ability were equally as influential as his ability to keep pace with and slow down fast and creative attackers on the big stage.
2. Kofi SARKODIE
– Anyone who follows MLS has seen how Kofi Sarkodie is one of the best American right backs around, and he also fits into the mold of the two-way outside backs that the United States wants playing for its national team.
RIGHT CENTER BACKS:
1. Geoff CAMERON
– Of all the American center backs, Geoff Cameron is the one that brings the most complete package of skills and physical gifts, and he represents the type of higher-caliber center back that the United States wants.
2. Shane O’NEILL
– Shane O’Neill is better than Omar Gonzalez because he’s a center back along the lines of Cameron in that his skill and defending is more nuanced and complete than being strong in the air and making clearances. O’Neill is also a better athlete than Gonzalez.
LEFT CENTER BACKS:
1. John BROOKS
– John Brooks is a better center back than Matt Besler. Brooks plays in a better league. He’s younger and more two-footed, and his 1v1 defending and passing are better than Besler’s.
2. Michael OROZCO
-Michael Orozco probably would have been on the 2014 World Cup roster had he not had a hamstring injury right before the World Cup. Orozco has years of experience playing in Mexico, and he is a complete package of defending, technical skill, athleticism, and competitive intensity. Orozco is exactly the type of center back that the USA needs.
LEFT BACKS:
1. Chris KLUTE
– Chris Klute is likely the best American left back (and he’s just as good at right back), but Klute’s lack of international experience continues to be the justification for not giving him any international experience. Unlike other MLS players like Brad Davis or Chris Wondolowski who used to have very little international experience, Klute’s game looks like it translates much better to the international level than other MLS players without any U.S. caps.
2. Kellyn ACOSTA
– Kellyn Acosta is one of the very young, technical, and athletic MLS players that the United States needs to just put on the national team. These kinds of very talented and athletic young players simply need to be allowed to play for the U.S. and get acclimated to international play because the USMNT will need them to get to the next level.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS:
1. Michael BRADLEY
-Michael Bradley’s best position is as a defensive midfielder or Number 6, and he is world-class at this position. If the goal is to play very technical and athletic players at each position, then Bradley is the player that the United States needs to start as the defensive midfielder, instead of trying to push him into a more attacking role where frankly other players are better.
2. Maurice EDU
-With Jermaine Jones’ tendency to attack, Maurice Edu is the defensive midfielder that the United States should use when Bradley is unavailable. Edu is more technical and two-footed than he gets credit for, and his defending, speed, and athleticism are ideally suited to protecting the center backs and keeping track of opposing attackers. Edu also boasts legitimate European experience and success.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS:
1. Jermaine JONES
– Jermaine Jones’ ability to be a two-way threat and score was on display in the 2014 World Cup, and if Bradley is tasked with playing the stay-at-home defensive midfielder role, then Jones is the player to bring the bulk of the two-way play to the American midfield.
2. Dillon POWERS
-Dillon Powers can play as a central attacking midfielder or as a central midfielder, but Powers brings much better defending than one generally sees in playmakers. Powers’ engine and defending make him just the type of player that can bring quality passing and defending to the center of the American midfield.
RIGHT WINGS:
1. Fabian JOHNSON
– Fabian Johnson is a real weapon with either foot on the wings where he can attack wide or cut in toward the goal to score or to set up his teammates. Given the power and control than Johnson has with his left foot compared to other American players, Johnson is the best right wing in the American pool, plus he can play equally well as a left wing.
2. Benji JOYA
-Benji Joya can play any position in the midfield well against high-level competition because he’s a complete and creative midfielder that plays with a lot of intensity, but listing Joya as a wing frees up a roster spot for a player like Dillon Powers that mostly thrives in the middle. Joya is a more creative and explosive player than Powers, so it makes sense to let Joya use his technical ability and trickery as a wing that can cut inside or play wide.
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS:
1. Benny FEILHABER
– Benny Feilhaber has been the best American playmaker since right after the 2006 World Cup, and it’s a shame that he was left off the 2014 World Cup roster. Feilhaber’s international play along with his play the last two seasons with Sporting Kansas City should have finally silenced his critics. The USA needs this type of player to really compete against top national teams.
2. Joe CORONA
– Joe Corona is a little more skilled and athletic than Mix Diskerud but not quite as good yet as Feilhaber. Corona is a better 1v1 dribbler than Diskerud and Feilhaber, and Corona has a better knack for getting into scoring positions in the penalty box. Corona can play as a Number 10 or on either wing where he can play final balls and open up defenses, and he’s shown enough skill and creativity against top competition in Mexico and in the Copa Libertadores to earn this spot as the second best American playmaker.
LEFT WINGS:
1. Clint DEMPSEY
– Clint Dempsey is the best American player, and playing Dempsey out left where he’s arguably done the best through his career allows a natural Number 10 to line-up more centrally while Dempsey is free to roam where he sees fit. A Number 10 playing with Dempsey maximizes his skill-set and goal-scoring ability.
2. Julian GREEN
– Julian Green looks fast, skilled, creative, and ready to go. The United States tossed Green into the deep end during extra time of a Round of 16 World Cup game against Belgium, and he scored quickly. Green’s performance in the World Cup in addition to being on the books for Bayern Munich makes him someone that fully deserves to be on the USA roster and see lots of playing time giving Dempsey’s positional flexibility.
STRIKERS:
1. Jozy ALTIDORE
– For now, Jozy Altidore should get the benefit of the doubt as the best American striker not named Giuseppe Rossi, but Juan Agudelo looks more talented while still boasting the size and athleticism of Altidore.
2. Juan AGUDELO
– Juan Agudelo has a strong argument as the best American striker, and despite his relative lack of national team minutes, Agudelo always looks much more talented and dangerous than Altidore.
These rankings are a subjective ranking of American soccer players, and there is no way to equally weigh skill, experience, club form, international form, and the like into the ranking of players.
Furthermore, ranking players of various positions makes placing a numerical rank on a player even harder as each position brings with it its own importance and skill-set.
While attacking midfielders and strikers are usually more technically-skilled, every position requires important unique skill-sets and overall technical skill.
Below are the rankings of The Best American Footballers (July 2014):
New American players will emerge seemingly out of nowhere, and some older players will prove themselves too worthy and too fit to be counted out for the 2018 World Cup; other older players might prove to be not as equipped for the speed of international play as other options. Time will tell.
Nevertheless, here is World Soccer Source’s first take on who the United States could possibly call up to the 2018 World Cup roster, assuming the United States qualifies.
Cutting Joe Corona from the 2014 USA World Cup roster was a big mistake. (Photo: MexSport)
By: COLIN REESE
As many pundits, writers, commentators, and ex-players have pointed out, the quality of the soccer played by the United States and the success of the United States in the World Cup hasn’t improved from either the 2002 or the 2010 World Cups.
Certainly, the United States now has better soccer players and more of them, but the roster and the line-ups that Jürgen Klinsmann used in the 2014 World Cup did not reflect these improvements with the exception of DeAndre Yedlin.
While Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, and Julian Green all played well in the 2014 World Cup, these players are a product of German soccer.
Some of the players from the 30-man preliminary roster such as Joe Corona, Terrence Boyd, and Maurice Edu that Klinsmann cut from the final 23-man USA World Cup roster could have added to the improvement in the overall skill of the team that players like Yedlin and Brooks brought to the squad.
Klinsmann did select the central attacking midfielder Mix Diskerud, but he didn’t use him at all in the World Cup. And, this one specific example showcases the coach of the United States’ inability to make adjustments to his tactics of deploying three defensive midfielders and two wings behind Clint Dempsey as the lone striker once Jozy Altidore injured his hamstring in the first match against Ghana.
The USA could have made the best of an unfortunate injury by using Diskerud as a central attacking midfielder to help the United States to improve its passing and improve the link-up play between the defensive midfielders and Dempsey.
Fabian Johnson, DaMarcus Beasley, and DeAndre Yedlin were already providing attacking width to the USA in their roles as outside backs, so starting Alejandro Bedoya and Graham Zusi was not as important as starting Diskerud.
The use of Diskerud was the one change that Klinsmann had available to him to improve the USA’s biggest weaknesses: possession and attacking strength.
Going forward, there are several things that Klinsmann and the USA need to do to improve the quality and effectiveness of the United States Men’s National Team and close the gap with better national teams.
1. Call Up and Field More Attacking Midfielders with Real Quality
Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones, and Michael Bradley comprised the center of the American midfield, and all three of these players are defensive midfielders.
While Bradley and Jones are also box-to-box midfielders, they fall under the umbrella category of defensive midfielders compared to players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Mix Diskerud, and Joe Corona who are attacking midfielders.
At the very least, a line of three attacking midfielders made up of Donovan, Dempsey, and Corona wasn’t too much to expect from Klinsmann, and all three were on the preliminary 30-man roster.
Klinsmann can’t make the same mistake of passing over too many of these attacking midfielders in the future.
Instead of just including Dempsey and Diskerud only to never even play Diskerud, the United States could have used Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud all on the World Cup roster.
Luckily, the USA also has young, talented, and complete midfielders such as Benji Joya and Dillon Powers ready to play international soccer right now, and these two players are great two-way central attacking midfielders that also excel as box-to-box midfielders. Joya is also effective and dangerous on either wing.
Starting Beckerman/Cameron, Jones, and Bradley in the World Cup made sense for Klinsmann if he wanted to protect the center of the park and of the defense, but the moment that he was using Bradley as a central attacking midfielder and Jones as another attacking midfielder he was hurting the the USA’s ability to pass and attack.
Either Bradley or Jones needed to play the role of the stay-at-home defensive midfielder. Adding another defensive midfielder was playing too defensively, and it was also playing too small to speak metaphorically. Klinsmann needed to give either Bradley or Jones strict orders to play the role of the stay-at-home defensive midfielder.
The USA needs three or four defensive midfielders on the roster along with four or five more attack-minded midfielders on the roster. Nine midfielders comprised of defensive midfielders, box-to-box midfielders, and attacking midfielders (either wings or playmakers or both) is the way to go, and this leaves roster space for three out-and-out strikers or Number 9s.
2. Call Up Two to Three Quality Number 9s
Jozy Altidore, Aron Jóhannsson, Juan Agudelo, and Terrence Boyd would have been great selections to the World Cup roster, but there was no excuse for Chris Wondolowski being selected as a striker.
The United States cannot continue to have no back-up target striker and not enough attacking midfield options off the bench.
3. Use More of America’s Talented Young Players Like DeAndre Yedlin
DeAndre Yedlin was mocked by many professional pundits and writers for being inexperienced and too young, but once he took the field in the World Cup this turned out to be totally wrong. Klinsmann promised more proactive and better soccer, and he didn’t keep his promise when he cut Joe Corona from the 30-man roster. Corona is older and more experienced than Yedlin, and if Yedlin was deemed ready then Corona should have been deemed ready as well, especially since he was a proven attacking midfielder that could play wide or centrally.
Shane O’Neill, Chris Klute, Benji Joya, Joe Corona, Andrew Farrell, and Juan Agudelo are all young American players that are ready to play now, and Klinsmann owes them a fair shot. Since Yedlin impressed at the World Cup, then it’s time to showcase the improvement in the overall quality of American players such as O’Neill, Klute, Corona, Joya, Farrell, and Agudelo.
Since the 2006 World Cup only Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, and Feilhaber have really shown a consistent ability to showcase noteworthy technical skill against top national teams, and young players like Corona, Joya, and Agudelo in particular are definitely ready to give the USMNT additional technical players that can improve the collective skill level of the national team.
4. Start Balanced Line-Ups
Starting Tim Howard, DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler/John Brooks, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore would have made sense before the World Cup, and starting this XI would not have been risky nor would it have required much soccer acumen.
Klinsmann has been overcomplicating his line-ups. He likes the 4-2-3-1, so he should start four defenders, two defensive midfielders, three attacking midfielders, and one striker.
Using the 4-2-3-1 correctly requires better scouting of players and using the best players at their natural positions, and the other consideration that needs to be taken into account is making sure that the 10 field players play well together; merely using the very best player at each position might not yield the best collective performance.
Going forward, starting Howard, Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Klute, Edu, Bradley, Corona, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Agudelo seems like a good Starting XI to try out, and at least this line-up uses two two-way outside backs, two complete center backs, a defensive and box-to-box midfielder, two technical and dynamic wings, a creative playmaker, and a complete striker.
This sort of balance between defensive-minded and attack-minded midfielders to improve the possession and passing of the USA is certainly better than starting the types of unbalanced or overly-defensive Front Sixes used in the World Cup, which were devoid of any link-up play.
Since he coaches a country of 315 million people, Klinsmann should be expected to field a line-up that is balanced, talented, and capable of scoring and keeping a decent amount of possession against top national teams. The United States certainly has the players to do that.
