Chelsea won the Champions League title in a penalty kick shoot out after the game went into extra time and ended tied at one a piece off two headers: one Bayern Munch goal from Thomas Müller that was headed hard into the ground and bounced up into the roof of the net and one Chelsea …
The video below demonstrates Geoff Cameron’s overall skill, and keep in mind that Cameron is not left footed. The United States Men’s National Team needs Geoff Cameron because he is both the most skilled of the known American center backs, and he is also the most athletic of all the known American center backs. Oguchi …
Freddy Adu like Benny Feilhaber has a skill set that most American soccer players do not have, but Adu is different than Feilhaber in that Adu is faster and quicker than Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber and Adu should be used at the same time to provide better passing and attacking qualities that can benefit Michael Bradley, …
Benny Feilhaber is a player that needs to be consistently used by the United States Men’s National Team because he is a creative attacking playmaker with the vision, skill, control, touch, and ability to create scoring opportunities and provide the final balls that the United States needs to begin scoring more goals against top international …
http://globoesporte.globo.com/futebol/selecao-brasileira/noticia/2012/05/sob-olhares-de-marin-mano-chama-base-olimpica-e-deixa-r10-fora-da-lista.html This is not the Olympic roster which may contain several different players due to the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores. This is only the roster for the friendlies. Brazil’s roster does not include names such as Maicon, Lúcio, Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Dedé, but it is a very strong roster. Dedé is …
Gary Neville credited Chelsea's Champion's League title to the "English spirit", and yet the principal protagonist in Chelsea's victory was Didier Drogba from the Ivory Coast shown here in green on the African continent.
Chelsea won the Champions League title in a penalty kick shoot out after the game went into extra time and ended tied at one a piece off two headers: one Bayern Munch goal from Thomas Müller that was headed hard into the ground and bounced up into the roof of the net and one Chelsea goal off a hard header from Didier Drogba. Bayern Munich had the opportunity at a second goal, but Arjen Robben missed a penalty kick that would have given Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory.
After Didier Drogba, who is from the Ivory Coast and raised both there and in France, scored the winning penalty kick in the penalty kick shoot out, Gary Neville was screaming on international television like a man possessed that Chelsea’s victory was a tribute to the English spirit to “never say die.” Neville’s enthusiasm for Chelsea’s goal was light years beyond his enthusiasm when Bayern Munich scored. It is one thing to be excited as an Englishman that an English soccer team won the Champions League, it is quite another thing to actually credit the Champions League victory to the English spirit after an African from a former French colony and raised in France delivered not only the tying goal in regular time but also the winning penalty kick in the penalty kick shoot out.
Unfortunately for Neville, Chelsea has been made up of mostly non-English players for years. Drogba rightly deserved much of the credit for Chelsea’s victory over a far superior Bayern Munich team. As stated above, Drogba is from the Ivory Coast and grew up there as well as in France, so Neville’s crediting the English spirit for Chelsea’s Champions League title shows the nativistic beliefs of many English commentators like Neville that truly believe, based on their own nationalistic bias, that the English Premier League is not only the best league in the world but also the hardest to play in. The sun set on the British Empire a long time ago, especially in soccer. As far as soccer goes, the sun shines over Brazil, and almost none of the great Brazilian players or the greatest players ever past or present for that matter have wanted to play their club soccer in England.
Anyone that watches European soccer knows that the English Premier League is full of non-English players; and, in fact, the very best players on the very best teams are not English. John Terry, for example, could have never provided the type of defense, skill, and speed that the Brazilian David Luiz provided; and, without Luiz, Chelsea might have been overrun by Thomas Müller and company. To be fair to Chelsea, Chelsea was not able to play a full-strength squad due to suspensions, and Drogba probably would have played even better if he had Brazil’s Ramires, who scored a fantastic chip to beat Barcelona in the semifinals, playing with him.
Gary Neville’s crediting of the “English spirit” for the Champions League victory made absolutely no sense considering the fact that Bayern Munich (composed largely of Germans) thoroughly outplayed Chelsea in the Champions League Final and almost none of Chelsea’s players were English. Ramires’ goal in the semifinals and Drogba’s goals in the final show the enormous amount of work that England has in front of itself in scouting and identifying better English soccer players. England should be a much more skilled and athletic national team based on the amount of people playing soccer in London and all around England. England should have an almost endless supply of young, potentially world-class soccer players just in London alone. Having to hear Gary Neville credit the “English spirit” for Chelsea’s victory after the Ivorian Drogba personally delivered the Champions League title to Chelsea and to England was obnoxious, offensive, and almost delusional. Chelsea’s victory had nothing to do with the “English spirit” and everything to do with the big game performance of Didier Drogba who made it from Côte d’Ivoire through the youth ranks of French professional soccer to becoming one of the best strikers in the world.
Geoff Cameron is comfortable and skilled with both feet.
The video below demonstrates Geoff Cameron’s overall skill, and keep in mind that Cameron is not left footed.
The United States Men’s National Team needs Geoff Cameron because he is both the most skilled of the known American center backs, and he is also the most athletic of all the known American center backs.
Oguchi Onyewu is a strong, physical specimen that has put in commanding performances for the United States, but he is not nor was he ever anywhere close to the athlete that Geoff Cameron is. Cameron is a 6’3″ center back and defensive midfielder that has far superior speed and quickness than all of the other known American center backs. None of the known American center backs in the current United States player pool (and maybe ever) have had the overall skill level that Cameron has.
More so than just being skilled and athletic for a center back, Cameron is a very gifted soccer player irrespective of his position. Cameron is a highly skilled player because he has advanced technical skills and control of the ball, which is a quality that has been lacking from the United States Men’s National Team for decades. Cameron has a soft first touch, great technique with the inside and outside of both feet, good 1 v. 1 dribbling skills to dribble out of trouble in the back, and excellent passing skills. Additionally, Cameron has the ability to dribble up through the center of the field and slip past defenders which immediately breaks up the opposing team’s defensive formation. This ability to make runs forward to pass to a teammate or just to attack the center of the opposing teams midfield and defense is an outstanding attribute for the United States to have because it opens up the game and creates space for American players to make runs and attack the opposing team’s defense suddenly.
The fact that Jürgen Klinsmann does not even rate Geoff Cameron enough to have ever played him with Klinsmann’s first choice European players really calls into question Klinsmann’s ability to judge talent. No person that has ever played soccer in any capacity (even if it is just passing a ball around or juggling) or watched real elite level soccer games can honestly contend that Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, or Oguchi Onyewu have anywhere near the technical ability that Geoff Cameron has. Geoff Cameron appears to be faster than all the other known American center backs, although this writer has never seen any actual statistics on Cameron’s sprint times for 100 yards or meters or his top sprint speed in miles per hour. He also appears to be noticeably much quicker than all the other known American center backs, and he’s a more graceful mover and runner than the other American center backs. Cameron is visibly more skilled than the other American center backs in regards to his ability to calmly control passes whether they are played in the air or on the ground, and he possesses a more fluid facility to pass balls in the air or on the ground with the inside and outside of both feet. Furthermore, Cameron is a very tall center back that is of comparable height to Onyewu and Goodson.
The only American defenders close to Cameron in skill are George John of FC Dallas, the injured Omar Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the already capped Michael Parkhurst. Coach Klinsmann desperately needs talented and athletic center backs as any national team does, and Klinsmann appears on the fence about Cameron even after seeing him in action in international games for the United States. Although Klinsmann called Geoff Cameron up for the friendly against Italy, this call up served no real purpose because Klinsmann did not play Cameron. Therefore, Klinsmann was unable to see Cameron playing with the United States’s most talented players like Cherundolo, Dempsey, and Bradley.
When Cameron played for the United States in January of this year, his overall athleticism and skill level was a night and day difference to the level of skill and athleticism that the United States has been utilizing in the center of the defense. There is no evidence of any kind that the United States has two more technically skilled and athletic center backs than Geoff Cameron. The failure to use Geoff Cameron or even adequately test Cameron out with Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Tim Howard further demonstrates the bizarre disparity between the statements that Klinsmann makes regarding what he is looking for in his team and in his players and whom he continues to actually play in games or even put on his rosters.
No person can honestly argue that Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu as good as they have been for the United States over the years have the same technical ability, defensive timing and aptitude, and overall athleticism that Cameron has, and Bocanegra and Onyewu as well as Jay DeMerit have been the very best of the American center backs in recent years. While Bocanegra, Onyewu, and DeMerit were able to thwart attacks by elite national teams by intercepting passes and crosses, Cameron has the ability to provide a new level of finesse and skill in the back combined with superior athleticism in a tall and strong physique.
Whatever criteria that Klinsmann claims to use for his depth charts at every position, these criteria clearly do not include: technical ability on the ball, a soft first touch, a facility with dribbling, passing, and shooting with both feet, mental intensity, and overall athleticism.
Say what you want about Freddy Adu, but Freddy Adu played for Benfica and scored goals.
Freddy Adu like Benny Feilhaber has a skill set that most American soccer players do not have, but Adu is different than Feilhaber in that Adu is faster and quicker than Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber and Adu should be used at the same time to provide better passing and attacking qualities that can benefit Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan.
Although both Feilhaber and Adu are technically skilled players and excellent passers, Adu is very much a different player than Benny Feilhaber is. Adu also has much better 1 v 1 dribbling skills to beat defenders off the dribble. Like Feilhaber, Adu knows when to control a ball and when to let the ball run, and Adu knows when to continue dribbling and when to release a pass to a teammate who is making a run or who is about to make a run. Intangible qualities such as these to read the game have been lacking from the United States Men’s National Team with the exception of players such as Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Steve Cherundolo, and Benny Feilhaber. Frankly, the United States Men’s National Team as a whole and excluding the players mentioned above is simply not good enough to not need players like Adu. There are probably many unknown players in the United States with high technical abilities, good athleticism, and the right mentality to be high quality professional soccer players, but the United States cannot keep refusing to play known players of Adu’s ability and expect to do more than survive against top opponents. Not using players like Adu is unfair to players like Dempsey, Donovan, and Bradley that need as many teammates as they can have that can play fast paced, attacking soccer on the international level. Although Adu has many critics, no one has ever doubted his talent, and soccer is very much a skill sport. Critics can argue that just having skill is not good enough, but there is no evidence that Adu does not constantly move without the ball and look to attack the opposing team as much as possible when he has teammates of a high skill level. Additionally, as a left footed soccer player, Adu has no problem using his right foot to dribble, pass, and shoot, and this ability to use both feet makes him a superior attacker to both Brek Shea and José Torres.
Criticism of Adu is so off base in the United States that after the United States failed to qualify for the Olympics, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl and ex-United States international and ESPN analyst Alexi Lalas singled out Adu to blame for the United States’ failure to qualify for the Olympics without discussing really any of the other players in detail. So, both Lalas and Wahl singled out the player than created the two goals that put the United States in the position to qualify for the Olympics. Wahl and Lalas supposedly must have blamed Adu for the fact that El Salvador scored two point blank goals on American goalkeeper Bill Hamid who was playing on a sprained ankle. Wahl and Lalas must have blamed Adu for Coach Caleb Porter’s failure to sub off an injured Bill Hamid, which resulted in two goals in one minute of game time. According to Wahl and Lalas, Adu must be in charge of the substitutions. According to Lalas and Wahl, it was not enough for Adu to create two goals which put the United States ahead of El Salvador with almost no time left in the game only to have Caleb Porter sub Adu off, which diminished the United States’ ability to secure the win by maintaining ball possession and killing the clock.
If you go to this link below, you can listen to Alexi Lalas and Grant Wahl heavily criticizing Adu and accusing him of not having much impact on the games. The podcast is entitled “Soccer Roundtable–March 30, 2012.” Alexi Lalas even went as far to state that Adu was “not good enough…to be the man in an MLS game or pretty much any game around the world to be quite honest.” This comment is way off base considering the fact that Freddy Adu played for and scored goals for Benfica.
Alexi Lalas states that there was no “Landon Donovan” or “Clint Dempsey” on the Olympic qualifying team, but the United States did not even have the intelligence to value Clint Dempsey when he was a youth player. The United States Soccer Federation and its coaches did not even really know who Clint Dempsey was until he was essentially 21 years old, and they did not rate Dempsey highly. Dempsey was not really used by the United States on its youth team in the U-20 World Cup, and Dempsey has spoken about this in his articles for Goal.com.
The fact is that Clint Dempsey was not deemed good enough by U.S. Soccer to play for the United States before the 2006 World Cup, and this fact demonstrates the gross incompetence of the United States Soccer Federation and its coaches to identify talented players. Dempsey was discovered so to speak by the non-American coach of the New England Revolution, Steve Nicol, who, as a player, played in the World Cup and for Liverpool. Alexi Lalas sees soccer as a game that is no more intricate or complicated than heading in goals off set-pieces or heading balls away from your own goal while defending set-pieces, so it is not surprising that someone with that mentality would not appreciate the unique skills of Freddy Adu who played for and scored for Benfica. Here is the link to the Sports Illustrated podcast entitled, “Soccer Roundtable–March 30, 2012″:
Feilhaber and Adu are not mutually exclusive; and, unless there is evidence to the contrary, the fastest way for the United States to play a higher level of attacking soccer is to play Adu and Feilhaber with Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan. Some people might contend that such a system does not provide enough team defense; but, in this system, the United States would have six defensive players including Michael Bradley as well as Tim Howard. That is six players out of a starting line-up of eleven players in total that are fulfilling defensive roles. Using Adu as a second striker next to a player like Juan Agudelo with players like Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Donovan behind them would create a much more offensively skilled line-up than the line-ups that were used by Bruce Arena, Bob Bradley, and Jürgen Klinsmann alike.
Klinsmann has been using three holding midfielders and disguising one of them as a winger, whereas even Arena and Bradley (who were accused of not playing offensively enough) used only two defensive midfielders. Klinsmann cannot continually say that he wants the United States to play attacking and proactive soccer and then field three defensive midfielders. Klinsmann must think that American soccer fans have no experience playing soccer at any level or even watching high level professional soccer on TV or in person. Even a person that only watched the recent United States friendly against Italy could see Tim Howard continually stopping shots and the United States defense being beaten over and over again. This most recent friendly showed that Klinsmann was not really attempting to play the level of attacking soccer that he claimed that he wanted to try to implement. If Klinsmann is not going to try out players such as Adu in a meaningless friendly, then what will he do when the games count and the United States need goals?
While Clint Dempsey is without a doubt the best American soccer player ever, Freddy Adu is a faster and quicker player with a more advanced passing game and with better 1 v. 1 dribbling skills. Additionally, there is no evidence that there is anyone in the United States player pool that has the same ability as Adu to deliver precision balls off set pieces. It should be noted that Clint Dempsey has developed excellent free kick abilities by studying and copying the ball striking technique of Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo strikes free kicks on the valve of the ball which causes the ball to lift over the wall and then quickly dip in a knuckle ball fashion with little to no spin, which makes it difficult for the goalkeeper to follow the flight of the ball by following the spin of the ball as it flies toward the keeper.
For years, the United States has been reluctant to use Adu even without any player than can provide the same skill and speed that he has recently proven to be a great asset to players like Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, and Feilhaber. If the United States and now Jürgen Klinsmann are not going to use a player of Adu’s ability or at least put him on the roster, then Klinsmann and the United States need to demonstrate that they have another player with the same skill level and ability to play well against elite competition.
Freddy Adu has certainly demonstrated that he can play against top level competition. Adu was even man-marked and shadowed by Marcelo in the 2007 Under 20 World Cup, and Marcelo is now the starting left back for Real Madrid and considered to be one of the top left backs in the world. If Adu was able to set up goals against Marcelo and beat him off the dribble even if it was five years ago, why won’t Klinsmann use Adu now that he’ s had five more years of experience and is only 22 years old?
Coach Klinsmann cannot just keep raving about José Torres without having any evidence to support that Torres is a better player than Adu or Feilhaber. Klinsmann cannot point to one statistic or single performance to demonstrate that Torres creates more goals or is a greater compliment to Dempsey, Donovan, and Bradley than Feilhaber or Adu are. As this writer has written over and over again, José Torres is either incapable or unwilling to use his right foot, and simply dribbling, passing, and shooting with one foot is not good enough for a player that Klinsmann views as an essential playmaker for the United States. Playing with one foot is universally regarded as a deficit and weakness in a player’s overall abilities, and playing with two feet is necessary to play fast paced, attacking soccer at a high international level. Both Adu and Feilhaber can use both their right and left feet to trap, dribble, pass, and shoot. Additionally, Joe Corona and Mix Diskerud showcased an ability to utilize both feet with ease in the Olympic qualifiers, and this skill with both feet is something that José Torres has never demonstrated.
Adu has performed well in international friendlies with the main United States Men’s National Team in friendlies against Switzerland, Argentina, Spain, and many other excellent national teams, and Adu performed well in a high pressure game in the 2011 Gold Cup Final against Mexico that was in a hostile environment in the Rose Bowl which was a home game for Mexico as almost the entire stadium was filled with Mexicans or Mexio supporters screaming out comments that are not even mentionable here.
As a coach, Klinsmann must back up his decisions and selections with results and evidence, and the United States win against Italy is not proof that Klinsmann is doing a good job because the performances of a couple of players delivered that victory. Against Italy, Tim Howard made numerous saves that kept Italy off the scoreboard and Clint Dempsey converted a goal of very high difficulty that required shooting the ball at the exact moment that the Italian defenders had their legs spread apart. Additionally, Klinsmann finally played Michael Bradley who helped to give the United States not only a stronger defense but also a higher quality passing game than the United States was unable to demonstrate against France without Bradley playing.
Bradley was already a proven performer before the Italy game, and Klinsmann made an enormous mistake in not playing Bradley against France in Paris. The win against Italy does not demonstrate that the United States does not need players such as Adu and Feilhaber, but rather the win demonstrated three things that United States fans already knew: Tim Howard is an excellent goalkeeper; Michael Bradley is a great two-way midfielder, and Clint Dempsey has developed into a world-class player and goal scorer. None of these elements in the win against Italy disprove the argument that Adu is a highly-skilled player that the United States needs in order to play better attacking soccer rather than relying on its goalkeeper to make countless saves and for its best player to save the United States from losing or settling for a tie.
The fact remains that the United States cannot afford to not include a player of Adu’s abilities in its rosters. The United States is a country that is very much regarded around the world as a country that is getting better at soccer, but that is still lacking the technical ability and skill of the world’s top teams or even the world’s second tier teams. The United States needs to include players like Adu on its rosters to begin to field 11-man line-ups that are more technically skilled at each position. Simply continuing to use the same players or to not incorporate technically skilled players with good passing ability causes the United States to make no real progress towards playing attacking, attractive soccer that creates more goals.
Benny Feilhaber is frequently accused of being easy to muscle off the ball, and yet here he is fightly for a ball against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Benny Feilhaber is a player that needs to be consistently used by the United States Men’s National Team because he is a creative attacking playmaker with the vision, skill, control, touch, and ability to create scoring opportunities and provide the final balls that the United States needs to begin scoring more goals against top international opponents.
Feilhaber is a highly skilled attacking midfielder that has the touch and skill to be able to control balls off his chest, head, thighs, feet, shoulders, or wherever the ball might be, and this ability to control the ball combined with a facility to control the ball well when passing, shooting, or dribbling makes him a player that the United States cannot afford to not play.
As a natural playmaker, Feilhaber is able to provide better through balls that cut through the opposing teams defensive back four than Dempsey, Donovan, and Bradley are able to provide, and Feilhaber can also play soft chips behind the defense that allow players like Dempsey, Donovan, and others to score goals. Any system that uses Dempsey and Donovan as the primary playmakers eliminates or greatly curtails their ability to make runs into scoring positions. This role should be fulfilled by Feilhaber while Bradley roams the back providing defensive coverage and serving as a link between the United States defensive back four and attacking midfielders like Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Donovan. Real top level soccer requires fielding a team of 11 players with high technical abilities and a facility on the ball, and just because Donovan and Dempsey are the best American soccer players does not mean that either one is a naturally suited to play as a playmaker.
While many people debate whether Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan is the better soccer player and many people seem to be able to identify that both Dempsey and Donovan can play at the same time, fewer people recognize the neither one of these excellent soccer players is a true playmaker or the type of player that can create the scoring opportunities that Dempsey and Donovan actually need from another player. Dempsey and Donovan need a player that can combine with them in quick one to two touch passing soccer all over the field as well as a player than can provide them with good passes when Dempsey and Donovan make runs into the penalty box or in the final third of the field.
The United States has a highly skilled holding or defensive midfielder in Michael Bradley, and the United States has two free roaming attackers in Dempsey and Donovan that usually line-up on the left or right and cut in toward the middle of the field to score goals. But, the United States needs a player than can combine with Bradley and provide the passes in scoring positions that Dempsey and Donovan need. If Dempsey and Donovan are forced to be responsible for playing final balls or providing passes to create goals, then neither one of these two players is free to make as many attacking runs and get into scoring positions.
The United States would be better served to play Michael Bradley as a defensive midfielder (as it normally does) with Benny Feilhaber playing directly in front of Bradley and with Donovan and Dempsey playing to the right and left of Feilhaber. In this system, none of the players are forced to remain in one small area of the field, but they would be free to constantly be moving without the ball in order to create a more skilled style of soccer that the United States has not been known for playing. Many people in the United States including previous United States coaches seem to believe that the United States can field one so-called “skill” or “flair” player and seriously compete with top national teams. This mindset is totally misguided and continues the cycle of United States soccer teams that are inferior skill wise as a group compared to their competition. Elite level international soccer requires a nucleus of technically skilled players playing at the same time because otherwise the one technically superior player has no passing options or support on the field, and the opposing team maintains possession and creates far more scoring chances.
Benny Feilhaber since 2007 has proven that he can play quick passing, one to two touch soccer against not only decent but also elite level competition which allows Donovan and Dempsey to be free to make more attacking runs rather than being tasked with creating goals. Over the years, Feilhaber has demonstrated his abilities in the 2007 Copa America, the 2009 Confederations Cup, the 2010 World Cup, and numerous friendlies and other international games. Bob Bradley frequently utilized two holding midfielders in the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup, and the United States saw its greatest successes when Feilhaber was used alongside Bradley instead of using two holding midfielders. Feilhaber has been criticized as a player that cannot play for 90 minutes, but there is no evidence that Feilhaber is physically incapable of playing fast paced soccer and moving without the ball for the full 90 minutes of game time.
Additionally, in last summer’s Gold Cup in 2011, when Feilhaber was injured, the United States struggled throughout the tournament to create scoring chances and score goals. It was only in the semifinals against Panama when Bob Bradley out of desperation inserted Freddy Adu that the United States improved its passing play, scored a goal, and won the game. In the Gold Cup Final against Mexico, Freddy Adu was the best player on the field, and this highlighted how important it was for the United States to use some sort of creative attacking midfielder that is a playmaker. Freddy Adu delivered the corner kick where Michael Bradley scored a header, and Adu was instrumental in helping to set up the United States’ second goal. It was only when Steve Cherundolo was subbed off with an injury and Jonathan Bornstein was subbed in that the United States conceded four goals and lost.
The United States has played better when Feilhaber or Adu have played for the United States, and this is because both players add a dimension to the game that Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan do not have: creating goals with highly skilled passing ability through and over defenders.
Benny Feilhaber has received a lot of unfounded criticism over the years for being weak on defense or easy to push off the ball or prone to giving the ball away, but this was not on display in the 2009 Confederations Cup or the 2010 World Cup. There is not a lot of evidence for any of the critiques of Feilhaber listed above, and anyone that levels such accusations should be mindful that the United States has performed its best against elite opponents when Benny Feilhaber plays. Feilhaber has consistently demonstrated a large amount of off the ball movement and a general intensity when playing for the United States, and Feilhaber has also been a player that makes himself available to receive a pass. who makes good decisions on the ball, and who delivers good passes.
Benny Feilhaber is a player than possesses a very fluid game where he is able to receive and release the ball quickly by controlling the ball easily with all the requisite parts of his body in addition to then being able to pass the ball with the inside and outside of either foot. Additionally, Feilhaber is a player that plays with his head up which allows him to know what he’s going to do with the ball before it comes to him. By having a high technical skill set, Feilhaber is able to control, dribble, pass, and shoot the ball regardless of where the ball happens to be in relation to his body. The United States only has a couple of players in its player pool that possess the type of game that Feilhaber has that is highly suited to playing as an attacking midfielder or playmaker. Unless, critics of players like Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu are able to produce the names of American soccer players that can play quick, one to two touch soccer with Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan and do so against top national teams, then Feilhaber’s critics need to accept the reality that Feilhaber is a highly skilled soccer player and a necessary ingredient for the United States to improve its ability to play more highly skilled soccer against top opponents.
For this writer, Feilhaber has proven himself for years and demonstrated that he not only can play against top teams but he can also play well. There is no evidence that Feilhaber has performed poorly for the United States or been unable to play highly skilled soccer against top level competition from Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and various other countries. If the United States truly wants to become a better soccer nation in comparison to the first and second tier national teams around the world, then the United States must utilized its players than have the technical ability and ball control skills to play in fast paced gamed against top opponents using both feet.
This is not the Olympic roster which may contain several different players due to the Copa do Brasil and the Copa Libertadores. This is only the roster for the friendlies.
Brazil’s roster does not include names such as Maicon, Lúcio, Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Dedé, but it is a very strong roster. Dedé is currently injured, so he is not on Menezes’ roster. Dedé is considered to be the best Brazilian center back playing in Brazil, whereas Thiago Silva is the best Brazilian center back, and the best center back in the world.
Brazil’s roster is not the strongest roster at Brazil’s disposal; but, for American soccer fans, this Brazil roster is a superior roster to the rosters that Klinsmann, the coach of the United States, has been using for friendlies.
Many soccer fans are familiar with Neymar, Ganso, and Lucas Moura, but Casemiro is an excellent defensive midfielder for São Paulo that poses a threat on the attack with his excellent shooting ability and overall skill level. Below is a video of Casemiro.
If you are unfamiliar with Paulo Henrique Ganso or only know him by name or if you have only seen him once of twice, you should get used to hearing his name. Ganso has been linked in connection with AC Milan who need a player to replace Clarence Seedorf as Kevin-Prince Boateng is more of a box-to-box midfielder rather than a traditional playmaker. At Milan, Ganso could be used as a trequartista or as a mezz’ala as well as another type of attacking midfielder. Ganso is a strongly left footed soccer player for the most part, but he can use his right foot and is beginning to use it more. Here is a video showing Ganso in action. Ganso will probably be wearing the camisa dez or number 10 jersey against the United States. Ganso is an excellent attacking midfielder whose price tag bears witness to his abilities.
Team USA is only facing Brazil in a friendly, but any World Cup qualifying roster needs to acknowledge the reality that the United States needs to begin fielding players with more advanced ball control skills and athleticism to attempt to begin to close the gap with the world's best national team, Brazil.
As Coach Klinsmann announced he will be selecting 29 players to try out for the World Cup qualifying roster, here is a proposal of 29 players that should be called into the Florida camp to try out.
The players included in this list of 29 players are more than capable of finishing first in the United States World Cup qualifying group. If the United States does not advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying, then the United States does not deserve to play in the World Cup.
Every player listed here has the requisite technical ability and control of the ball as well as the speed and quickness to produce a brand of soccer that is superior to that which the United States has produced in the past. Simply continuing to use many of the same midfielders, forwards, and defenders that have proven that they can only survive against top teams will not take the United States to the next level.
Several of the players here without much or any national team experience will have three friendlies in order to become accustomed to international soccer, and all of the players here have played a variety of games against top international or club competition in some capacity. There are enough experienced, highly skilled players on the list of players to beat all of the teams in the United States World Cup qualifying group in the first round.
Players such as George John and Geoff Cameron are more than capable of performing well in World Cup qualifying especially when paired with Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan. George John and Geoff Cameron are simply more skilled, quicker, and faster than Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, and even Carlos Bocanegra who has done an admirable job for the United States. Carlos Bocanegra should be called up and possibly be one of the final four center backs selected just in case he is needed, but his loss of pace is making the United States’ defense vulnerable as was clearly on display against Italy when both Bocanegra and Clarence Goodson were outpaced by Matri and Giovinco time and time again. Just imagine if Mario Balotelli had been playing.
This is not a claim that Onyewu and Bocanegra are not good players, but it is a claim that the United States now has faster, quicker, and more skilled center backs that are also very defensively sound and defensively talented.
Most people will probably be surprised that Dax McCarty is listed here, but this writer will explain why he has been included. McCarty is listed as a third defensive midfielder (although he plays a variety of midfield positions) because since the 2007 Under 20 World Cup, McCarty has demonstrated that he can play fast one to two touch soccer against high level international competition.
When McCarty played against Chile in 2011, he was playing against a Chilean team full of Colo Colo, Universidad Católica, and Universidad de Chile players. These are very good soccer teams that are far superior to any MLS team. McCarty has demonstrated the ability to constantly be showing for the ball, helping to maintain possession, and providing solid defensive coverage. McCarty has been playing well with Thierry Henry, and being able to receive and release the ball quickly with Thierry Henry is addition to McCarty’s previous national team performances makes him a good player to place on the United States Men’s National Team roster at least to try out. If Michael Bradley gets hurt, then Jermaine Jones can fill in for him. But, there might be times when Klinsmann plays Jones and Bradley at the same time. The United States will need a technically skilled defensive midfielder with an excellent work rate to fill in for Bradley and Jones if need be. Additionally, Geoff Cameron is an excellent defensive midfielder that has the skill to play with Dempsey, Cherundolo, and company.
Timothy Chandler is not listed here because on several occasions his club, Nuremberg, has pretended that he was injured only to play him in their next game, and they did this in order to get around releasing him for a FIFA date. Chandler is a fast and skilled outside back and winger; and, despite claims to the contrary, Chandler does have a good left foot.
Neymar, The Heir Apparent as the World's Best Soccer Player
World’s Best Starting XI:
First Team:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
A combination of Neuer’s World Cup and this season for Bayern Munich put Neuer amongst the world’s best keepers, but the recent Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid where Neuer stopped both Ronaldo’s and Kaká’s solid shots to the corner put Neuer as the number one keeper. Casillas, Neuer, and Buffon are all elite keepers with little if any real separation between them.
Right Back: Maicon
Maicon The Marauder. Maicon The Fire-Breathing Monster. Fully fit, Maicon absolutely terrorizes defenses by blazing up the sideline to combine with his teammates and pulverize outside of the foot goals of which his resume has many. Maicon is very hard to beat on defense, and his often mentioned poor performance against Gareth Bale last season was when Maicon was coming back from injury and not yet back to 100%. In comparison to Daniel Alves, Maicon is much more aggressive and strong going forward than Daniel Alves. Alves is prone to diving and doesn’t attack opposing defenders with the same reckless abandon with which Maicon attacks as often as possible. Additionally, Maicon is much more defensively sound and is better at not being caught too far up the field when the opposing team is attacking.
Right Center Back: Lúcio
Lúcio is a ruthless monster thet towers over almost anyone he faces, and he lives to taunt his opponents by dribbling around opposing attackers in his own penalty box. Lúcio’s combination of size, muscular flexibility, quickness, defensive timing, intensity, mental strength, and high technical skill with both feet make Lúcio truly terrifying to face. No one wants to face Lúcio, and Lúcio is feared by most and highly respected by everyone. Lúcio has been the best center back in the world for some time now, and now Thiago Silva is on the same level or above due to Silva’s lightning speed. Both defenders play differently. While Thiago Silva has a very advanced set of technical skill for any player at any position in any league, Lúcio has a tendency to make more runs up field and dribble through the opposing team’s strikers and midfielders. Lúcio fears no one.
Left Center Back: Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva is widely considered the world’s best center back due to his combination of technical skill, defensive prowess, big game performances, and speed. As an AC Milan and Brazil starter, Thiago Silva’s skill is beyond question. Thiago Silva is different than Lúcio but faster and just as strong defensively. In addition to his overall technical skill and defensive abilities, Thiago Silva has the speed to outpace or match the pace of the world’s fastest strikers and attackers, and this final element to his game makes him the world’s best center back.
Left Back: Eric Abidal
Eric Abidal had a magnificent 2006 World Cup when he played alongside the likes of Lilian Thuram and William Gallas in the French defense that reached the World Cup Final. Abidal’s performances playing alongside the likes of Zidane and his club soccer at Barcelona make him amongst the top three left backs in the world. Abidal has great speed, size, defensive timing, and great technical ability as a defender which has been on display for years with France and Barcelona. Philipp Lahm and Marcelo are excellent left backs, but Abidal is more difficult to get passed and plays for a Barcelona squad that many consider to be the best passing team ever.
Right Midfielder (roams freely): Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has scored 72 goals to date this season in all competitions. Many have already dubbed Lionel Messi as the greatest player of all-time, but Messi has a long way to go to surpass Zidane, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho who were unstoppable against any opponent. Messi has proven to be stoppable on numerous occasion in big games and when playing for Argentina, but Messi has amassed an enormous amount of goals over the last three years. Messi is considered by his peers to be the world’s best player, and this combined with his stats make him an automatic inclusion on this list. Messi is a master at chipping the goalkeeper from close range, and Messi’s game is characterized by slipping past defenders by dribbling left with only his left foot. Messi can use his right foot and does so when it is required. But, more so than Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Zidane, Messi relies mostly on his left foot and generally does not attack defenders by going right. Despite this reliance on his left foot, Messi normally still beats his defenders off the dribble even though they know he is going to attack them to his left.
The internet is full of videos of Messi and the other players in this list, and Messi has thousands of YouTube videos dedicated to him. Below is a video of all of Messi’s goals just from this season, if the reader is interested in seeing more then YouTube is your oyster.
For Messi to be the best player ever, he will need to be able to attack defenses going both directions, deliver in international matches, and be able to be unstoppable against any opponent as Ronaldo was. Here is a video of the remarkable skill of Ronaldo, and anyone that claims Messi is already the best player ever should watch this video when they have the chance. It is a long video, but even a couple minutes of the video show the big disparity between the way Ronaldo attacked defenders and scored goals and the somewhat one dimensional way that Messi attacks.
Center Midfielder: Kevin-Prince Boateng
Kevin-Prince Boateng is aggressive on defense and highly skilled going forward. KPB (as he is sometimes referred to) is as good as any midfielder around, and he can be played almost anywhere. If it was required, KPB could probably play as a center back as well. Of all the players on this list, Kevin-Prince Boateng probably possesses the total package of defensive skill, high technical ability, beyond world-class athleticism, fantastic shooting and finishing, and great 1 v. 1 offensive skills. Kevin-Prince Boateng is included on the first team while Xavi and Iniesta are not, but this is out of no disrespect to them or their abilities. Kevin-Prince Boateng is a player that brings outstanding defensive coverage and attacking skill to any team which makes him difficult to get passed and difficult to defend. His goals this season in Série A and in Champions League bear witness to his world-class skill. Kevin-Prince Boateng had a great 2010 World Cup in South Africa which put him on the radar screen of many clubs and cause many to wonder why he was not being played more in England. Kevin-Prince Boateng’s goal against Barcelona in November of 2011 as well as his goal against Arsenal in 2012 were easily amongst the top five Champions League goals this season, and Boateng’s goal against Barcelona was likely the best goal of the entire 2011-2012 Champions League season.
Central Attacking Midfielder: Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller played for Bayern Munich starting at age 18, and by age 20 he had already won the FIFA 2010 World Cup Golden Boot for being the 2010 World Cup’s top goal scorer in addition to the FIFA 2010 World Cup Best Young Player Award. As a second striker and central attacking midfielder, Müller is pretty close to being technically perfect with both feet. Müller is a very smooth and quick attacker that has no problem using either foot depending on whichever foot is more appropriate. Despite being used as a substitute this season more so than last season, this is a list based on skill, and Müller’s skill is evidenced by his club and international resume.
Left Midfielder (Roams freely. Not a true winger): Cristiano Ronaldo
At the time of the writing of this article, Cristiano Ronaldo has 45 goals just in La Liga and 59 goals in all competitions this season. Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the world’s best players for some time now, and this season of European soccer in general and more specifically La Liga was very much a dual between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo at times does his tricks too far away from his opponents instead of doing the tricks closer to his opponents in order to slip past them, but he also torches and blows past his defenders more often than not. In addition to Pato and Mario Balotelli, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the fastest players in soccer, and Cristiano Ronaldo is astronomically more two-footed than Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo will dribble, pass, shoot, and score with both feet, and he is probably more skilled than Lionel Messi and certainly more of a complete player. Cristiano Ronaldo has essentially-if this writer is not mistaken- invented a unique free kick technique where he strikes the ball on the valve where the pump is inserted to inflate the ball. This technique causes the ball to quickly rise in an enormous arching fashion almost like a jump shot in basketball and then the ball quickly dives while having no spin and essentially assaults the keeper with a shot that is impossible to stop if struck correctly because the lack of spin cause the keeper to not be able to see the ball clearly due to the total lack of spin. Supposedly the ball rises and dives due to the compression of the ball on impact and then the rapid expansion of the shape of the ball. Didier Drogba, Clint Dempsey, and several other players occasionally imitate this free kick technique, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s are still far superior and essentially no other player that this writer can think of can strike free kicks using this technique with the same ruthlessness. If the ball is struck correctly and the keeper is able to follow the flight of the ball, the only hope for the keeper is to punch the shot clear with both fist which brings the inherent risk of being smashed in the face. In summary, Cristiano Ronaldo is and has been amongst the top players in the world in terms of his overall skill level; and, as an attacker, Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of scoring with both feet and his head. As mentioned above, Cristiano Ronaldo could be even better still if he avoided doing his tricks too far away from opposing defenders instead of doing the tricks closer to them in order to use his vast array of tricks to beat defenders off the dribble and explode into space. With such a high skill level, many of Cristiano Ronaldo’s tricks are wasted by not performing them closer to opposing defenders.
Second Striker/ # 11: Neymar
Many people might argue that a player that does not play in Europe cannot be amongst the world’s best, but this is O País do Futebol, amigões. Even people that know nothing about soccer or hate soccer know that no other country is better at soccer than Brazil. Brazilian soccer is very high level soccer and extremely competitive. O Brasileirão is not a lower level soccer league like Major League Soccer. Brazil produces the most and the best soccer players in the world, and success in Brazil is a great barometer of success in Europe and in the World Cup. Neymar has already faced Barcelona where Barcelona saw to it that Neymar did not get near the ball. Neymar did not have the benefit of playing with 10 other players at the same level as the Barcelona players.
Neymar is technically perfect with both feet and has no hesitancy to shoot with either foot from distance or close to goal. The most striking element of Neymar’s game (besides his trademark mohawk) is the speed and directness with which he attacks and runs at anyone and everyone. Neymar attacks defenders at a speed really not seen before in world soccer. Neymar has honed all of the trademark tricks and moves of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Robinho, and earlier Brazilian greats, and he frequently combines two to three of the tricks in a row on one of more defenders in order to accelerate past them and bolt down field.
Neymar should take Messi’s throne within a year; and, after that, he will be gunning to surpass Ronaldo (The real one. Not Cristiano Ronaldo), Ronaldinho, and Zidane. This will be a tall order, but it looks to be likely because Neymar is really as good as he is hyped up to be. Neymar’s tricks are executed perfectly and close enough to opposing defenders that his tricks allow him to pass opposing players and then explode into space. Unlike Messi who only passes after he has dribbled only going left and only with his left foot until he has run into too much resistance, Neymar is much more generous with the ball, and he will play first time balls to his teammates that are open or making runs into space. Neymar unlike Messi takes defenders going off the dribble right and left, and Neymar has no problem continuing to dribble left and shoot with his weaker left foot. A striking element to Messi’s game is the fact that he essentially only dribbles left with the ball on his left foot and for the most part defenders are still unable to stop him. Messi does have quite a large amount of right footed goals, but he is essentially a one-footed soccer playing with outstanding finishing ability around the goal where he particularly likes to chip the keeper.
Below is a video showing the tremendous skill of Neymar. This writer encourages the reader to watch other videos if they are impressed with Neymar.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a towering 6’5″ striker with the flexibility of a rubber band and a very short fuse. Fighting or provoking Ibrahimovic is a huge mistake. Ibrahimovic is one of the world’s most technically skilled players in terms of his touch, control of the ball, shooting, 1 v 1 dribbling skills, and overall talent. While Ibrahimovic is a level below Ronaldinho in terms of overall ball control and skill, this in and of itself is an enormous compliment as Ronaldinho was possibly the most talented player to ever play the game in terms of his tricks, touch, control, shooting, dribbling, vision, and passing ability. Ronaldinho did and continues to still do tricks that not even the most elite attacking players would be able to do. Ibrahimovic has been labeled as a bad big game player or a player that is not a gamer, but Ibrahimovic has scored important goals not only in El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona but also in Il Derby della Madonnina and Champions League games. This season was Ibrahomovic’s best season statistically, and essentially every season has been a good season for Ibrahimovic. With so much focus this year on Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi who are wingers-for lack of a better term-that like to cut into the center of the field, Ibrahimovic is a true striker that outperformed all of his fellow professionals at the out-and-out striker position. Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi had record breaking goal scoring totals, but Ibrahimovic was the best true striker in Europe this season (2011-2012).
Second Team:
Goalkeeper: Gigi Buffon/Iker Casillas
Both keepers had fantastic seasons, and both keepers are excellent shot stoppers and great with the ball at their feet to the extent that they frequently taunt opposing strikers by dribbling around them in their own penalty box. Buffon was voted to Goal.com’s World Team of the Decade for 2000-2010, and Buffon is widely considered the best goalkeeper of his generation. Beginning several years ago, many began contending that maybe Iker Casillas and Júlio César had surpassed Gigi Buffon as the world’s best keeper. Buffon had an outstanding season this again this year for Juventus who are set to win the Scudetto, so Buffon along with Neuer and Casillas are the best goalkeepers in the world. Along with many of the other players here, who is or who is not the best at each position is subjective, and there is no right answer. There are a number of elite soccer players playing for the world’s top clubs, and there is unfortunately not space for all of them. The three goalkeepers listed above are all fantastically skilled goalkeepers, and it is difficult to really rate with certainty one over another.
Right Back: Daniel Alves
Maicon is ranked above Daniel Alves on this list because Alves is weaker defensively than Maicon. Daniel Alves is a highly skilled Brazilian right back that possesses great speed and technically ability with both feet, and Alves is also a good finisher and goal scorer. Alves provides many of the final passes for Messi, and Alves often kick starts the Barcelona attacks by dribbling at defenders at speed while providing good passes to open teammates. Daniel Alves needs to eliminate much of the diving and injury faking from his game, and Maicon does not dive or fake injuries. Maicon seems to actually enjoy rough play andy mixing it up with opponents although not to the extent of dirty hacking. Anyone that hacks Maicon or dives against Macon will find Maicon immediately in his face. Daniel Alves really is quite a shameless diver at times (although nothing close to the absurdity of Sergio Busquets and Pedro of Barcelona). Busquets and Pedro crumble when touched only to hack opponents and then stand over the player they’ve hacked and complain that the player on the ground is a diver.
Right Center Back: Dedé
Dedé does not play in Europe, but the reader will be hard pressed to find three better center backs than him in the world. Dedé along with Real Madrid’s Raphaël Varane are the center backs of the future. Dedé is an enormous physical specimen that has shown the ability to defend even Neymar really well. Dedé is a great headerer of the ball, and Dedé has even taken free kicks and scored. Dedé has great passing ability, ball control skills, and touch, and these three things combined with his athleticism, size, and defensive abilities make him a center back heavily sought after in European soccer.
Left Center Back: Gerard Piqué
As a center back for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, Piqué is widely regarded as one of the best center backs in the world, and his combination of size, speed, technical ability, and defensive strength make him along with Lúcio and Thiago Silva a very easy choice for world’s top center backs. Piqué has high technical skills and no problem using both feet so it does not matter if he plays the right or left center back unless his coach is trying to provide additional coverage for a specific right or left back. Piqué is an elite center back, and he has no real glaring weaknesses in his game as a center back. For this writer, Lúcio and Thiago Silva are more technically skilled and difficult to beat than Piqué, but Piqué is an outstanding center back and a champion.
Left Back: Marcelo/Philipp Lahm
Marcelo is beginning to use his right foot which he used to never do. Now, Marcelo will use his right foot when he needs to which suggest he should be using more to really continue to improve as a player. Marcelo has improved his defensive prowess instead of being primarily an attacking left back.
Lahm has been one of the best left backs in the world since the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and his record and performances with Germany and Bayern Munich make him hard to not be among the names mentioned for world’s best left back.
Regista: Andrea Pirlo
The Italian maestro, Andrea Pirlo is a deep-lying playmaker that plays defense in addition to being an outstanding passer and striker of the ball. Pirlo excels at controlling the pace of the game, and AC Milan made an enormous mistake when they sold him to Juventus last season. Pirlo is a regista which in Italian is a “director” as in a “film director” for example. Regista is an Italian word which in soccer is a term almost exclusively used for Andrea Pirlo for a deep lying playmaking position almost or as deep as a defensive midfielder as opposed to a trequartista which is a playmaking position just behind the strikers. Many people incorrectly refer to players as registi (plural of regista); but, if you want to know what a regista is, then just watch how and where Pirlo plays. Andrea Pirlo is one of the best passers and best dead ball specialist in the world who is hard to leave off any list of world’s best players (especially if one selects a first and second team for a total of 22 players). Andrea Pirlo is by any criteria one of the best playmakers, passers, and ball strikers in the world in addition to being a great tackler.
Consider this wonder strike goal from distance from Andrea Pirlo. As the announcer says, “The reaction from Ronaldinho says it all, just how good it was. Praise indeed.” Anytime you have impressed Grandmaster Ronaldinho, you know you have scored an outstanding goal.
Right Midfielder: Mesut Özil
Özil, Schweinsteiger, and Kaka are all really central midfielders; but, for the purposes of this list, Özil and Kaká are listed as right and left midfielders due to the fact that they like to roam around and are more that willing to show for ball and move into open space or wherever the game requires.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was an enormous let down in comparison to the 2006 World Cup in France and other previous World Cups, but the 2010 World Cup was a coming out party for Mesut Özil and Thomas Müller who in addition to Maicon made the players that complained about the Jabulani ball look totally off base. Maicon scored a ridiculous outside of the foot goal against North Korea with the much-hated Jabulani ball, and Maicon had even scored a similar goal against Portugal with a different ball. But, returning to Özil, Özil had an excellent 2010 World Cup where he showed great vision, passing, control, and skill despite the hated Jabulani ball. Özil continued this form at Real Madrid where he has consistently been amongst the top midfielders in the world for the past two seasons.
Özil was the primary playmaker for soon to be La Liga champions Real Madrid this season, and his great passing and performances made him an easy pick in the midfield. Real Madrid lost many of the duals with Barcelona this season, but Real Madrid will win La Liga this season and Mesut Özil was their playmaker and primary goal creator.
Center Midfielder: Bastian Schweinsteiger / Diego (Diego Ribas da Cunha)
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Diego in addition to Pirlo, Özil, Xavi, Iniesta, and Ronaldinho are the best playmakers and passers around. Both Diego and Schweinsteiger are excellent strikers of the ball; and, due to the fact that Ronaldinho has left European football and is not playing with the same energy and possibly enthusiasm as before, Schweinsteiger and Diego have performed arguably the best this year in terms of true playmaking. Due to the performances of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, midfield space was very limited for the purposes of this list. Schweinsteiger will be playing as the playmaker in the Champions League Final and Diego will be playing as the playmaker in the Europa League Final, so both of these players are very deserving of a spot on this list. No professional player, coach, or observer of the game can question the talent of these two players, and central midfield playmakers are becoming harder to find. Schweinsteiger’s and Diego’s success and performances this year make them an easy inclusion into this list.
Left Midfielder: Kaká
Kaká has had a return to form and seems to have recovered at times his explosive speed. Many have commented that he’s lost a step, but Kaká frequently blows past fast and world-class defenders. Kaká is not done yet, and Mourinho was heavily criticized for not using Kaká more in recent weeks in the Champions League. Many in Brazilian have also been calling for Kaká’s return to the national team, and there can be no doubt that when healthy Kaká is easily one of the best soccer players in the world (and the second most highly paid). In an age where it seems that fewer and fewer elite soccer players can use both feet, Kaká and fairly limited list of players can truly use both feet to pass, dribble, and shoot. Like several other players, Kaká shows no hesitation in using and shooting with his weaker left foot, and this in combination with his speed, control, vision, and overall skill make Kaká-even with several injuries-a hard player to leave off the line-up of especially a secondary team of the world’s best starting eleven soccer players.
Second Striker: Robinho
Robinho was cursed for a period of time during this season in Série A when Robinho missed several point blank sitters. This happens in soccer with elite attacking players such as Fernando Torres who later redeemed himself against Barcelona. Robinho also redeemed himself to some extent against Arsenal in the Champions League. Robinho is certainly one of the best soccer players in the world and has been a consistent starter for Brazil for at least 5 years. Robinho is an elite soccer player whose skill remains on par with the world’s very best players. Despite the criticism he has received, Robinho’s overall touch, technical ability, 1 v 1 dribbling skills, shooting, passing, and pace is matched only be a handful of players and surpassed by few. Robinho consistently performs well for Brazil, and Robinho was a big reason why AC Milan was the only team other than Real Madrid that could match Barcelona in open, attacking games. There is a small amount of elite soccer players of Robinho’s level in the world, and given his skill and the amount of running he puts into every game, Robinho is an asset to any soccer team. Any player that is a perennial starter for Brazil at an attacking position is in rare company indeed.
Striker: Mario Balotelli
Carlo Carganese of Goal.com wrote a fantastic profile of Mario Balotelli several years back detailing his strengths and weaknesses. The address for the article can be found below.
Say what you want about Balotelli. Balotelli can ball. Balotelli possesses far superior touch, technical ability with both feet, shooting, finishing, 1 v 1 skills, speed, dead ball ball-striking ability, and aggressive play than basically all other strikers. Unlike Ibrahimovic, Balotelli will not let off the throttle against any opponent in any stadium. Balotelli has a long way to go, but no one that watch world soccer can question his speed, talent, and ruthlessness. Balotelli has flawless technical skills matched with an unsurpassed athleticism and physique. You won’t find a faster striker than Balotelli. You won’t find a more two-footed player than Balotelli. You won’t find a better finisher than Balotelli. You won’t find a more powerful or accurate ball striker than Balotelli. And, only Neymar matches Balotelli in overall technical skill. Not even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have the technical skill of Neymar and Balotelli. Between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo possess the superior skill of the two.
Note: These two teams do not include Xavi or Andrés Iniesta from Barcelona. While both of these players are fantastic players that thrive playing for Barcelona and Spain, the players included on this writer’s two teams have never had the stigma of being dependent on playing for squads like Barcelona and Spain where much of their success is dependent on having played with the same group of players for so long. Xavi and Iniesta are exceptional and world class players, but this writer would select the players included here over Xavi and Iniesta without much hesitation. Among the two, Iniesta is probably more technically skilled than Xavi and Iniesta is a superior goal scorer and 1 v 1 dribbler. The players included in this writer’s two teams at the midfield positions are all capable of scoring goals against any opponent without being dependent on the cohesion of a team like Barcelona or Spain.
Kyle Beckerman (pictured above) is a personal favorite of Jürgen Klinsmann; but, with all due respect to Kyle Beckerman who is a technically sound soccer player, Michael Bradley is a far superior player both in skill and athleticism as evidenced by the fact that Bradley plays and starts in Série A.
Jürgen Klinsmann has shown no ability to learn from his mistakes or field more talented players to help out Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Tim Howard, and Landon Donovan. This writer expects a Klinsmann roster devoid of the players skilled enough to compliment the players listed above. Klinsmann will likely fill the World Cup qualifying roster with Germans and personal favorites without including any of the attacking midfielders that can created more scoring chances such as Benny Feilhaber, Freddy Adu, Mix Diskerud, and Joe Corona. Klinsmann has remarked that he was impressed with Feilhaber and Adu, but he will likely continue to use Dempsey and Donovan as the main playmakers as opposed to using Dempsey and Donovan as free-roaming attackers that can receive quality passes in the final third from the attacking midfielders listed above.
This roster prediction is not even close to whom this writer thinks are the most skilled and deserving 23 players to play for the United States. With several exceptions such as Cameron, Dempsey, Bradley, Donovan, Boyd, and Agudelo, this roster prediction below is a roster lacking the requisite amount of advanced technical skill and athleticism in the center of the defense, in the playmaker role, and at the striker position. This writer expects Klinsmann to call up the following 23 players below based on his personal bias towards German players and his penchant for selecting personal favorites like Kyle Beckerman who does not possess the requisite technical ability, speed, quickness, or the ability to make clean tackles. Beckerman is well below the skill level and athleticism of Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones. During Olympic qualifying, Amobi Okugo looked to possess far superior speed and quickness as well as an ability to play faster one to two touch soccer against international opponents.
These are Klinsmann’s likely picks and not this writer’s preferences.
Michael Bradley should always be starting for the United States as the lone defensive midfielder, and if Coach Klinsmann opts of two defensive midfielders than the second one should be Jermaine Jones
Preliminary Observations and Notes:
-A World Cup qualifying roster has 23 players.
-Any roster will have to take into consideration the highly advanced skill of players like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, and Jürgen Klinsmann should primarily seek to fill his roster with players that have the technical ability and quickness to play one to two touch soccer with Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, and Landon Donovan.
-The forward position represents some uncertainty and even the possible need to call up several rather inexperienced and untested forwards because in reality the United States has no proven dependable goalscorer at the striker position. Any selection at the striker position is essentially a gamble because Jozy Altidore has been playing for the United States for basically five years with no real evidence that he has become a more aggressive striker that can score an adequate amount of goals in international play. Altidore has shown more movement off the ball and better passing since his time in Holland, but there is no indication that he has the natural inclination to aggressively attack defenders and the goal when he plays for the United States. Altidore is possibly a victim of being forced to play without a playmaker to provide him with adequate service or final balls, and this is a likely explanation for his low goal total when playing for the United States.
-Although Klinsmann speaks of the defensive midfielder as the number 6 role, this writer has Michael Bradley listed as wearing the number 5 jersey. This is because Brazil has their right back wear number 2, their right center back wear number 3, their left center back wear number 4, and their left back wear number 6. Brazilian defensive midfielders wear number 5 because number 5 is seen as a sort of third central defender helping to plug the area between the left center back and the right center back as well as providing a link between the back four and the attacking midfielders.
-There have been some roster predictions by Soccer By Ives at www.soccerbyives.net as well as a prediction by Yanks Abroad author, Brian Sciaretta. Their predictions were based on whom they thought Klinsmann would select (and in some cases writers propose rosters that they would like to see); but, in this article, I am challenging Klinsmann’s ability to really recognize the need not only for change but the courage to play the players with the technical skills that he contends that he desires. My roster comes without the playing resume or coaching experience that Klinsmann has, but this writer would argue that any knowledgable soccer fan or lover of the game despite the disparity of opinions possesses the ability to recognize when certain players are clearly superior to other players in terms of their skill and athleticism.
Joe Gyau is playing with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, and Gyau along with many of the young Americans should be incorporated into the United States national team in order to give players like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley more skilled and athletic teammates than they were forced to play with in the past.
-The roster below reflects a belief that Coach Klinsmann has not made any real attempt to experiment with more highly skilled central midfielders and playmakers or just attacking midfielders in general that can free Clint Dempsey up to make more runs closer to goal or in scoring positions. The roster also reflects this writer’s belief that one of the central problems of the United States’ attack is the fact that Dempsey has to track back and show to ball for Michael Bradley which then leaves a huge void farther up the field where Klinsmann has only been playing one striker which allows the opposing team’s defense to surround the lone American striker left up the field.
-Below is a video clip of Benny Feilhaber’s outstanding volley against Mexico. This is a great goal at any standard of international play, and the United States cannot afford to not place players with this ability on the roster even if Klinsmann does not view Feilhaber as a starter.
-Additionally, here are two other video clips showcasing Feilhaber’s skill.
-This roster contains more Under 23 players that probably most writers would have included, and this roster includes or mentions two young strikers in Teal Bunbury and Tony Taylor that do not seem to be highly regarded by many people in the media. This writer has included them or discussed them because the United States has had problems at the striker position for years; and, for this writer, Tony Taylor and Teal Bunbury with limited and in Tony Taylor’s case extremely limited experience with the United States at any age group show a more aggressive willingness to attack the goal with what appears to be smoother and more advanced technical ability than even Jozy Altidore has. This is controversial for many people, but the roster includes three different out and out strikers and mentions a fourth striker in addition to players such as Adu, Feilhaber, Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan who can and do score goals.
Freddy Adu and Joe Corona pictured above have excellent touch, control, and technique that the United States and especially Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey desperately need in order to play more skilled and faster paced soccer against quality international competition.
-There has been no evidence over Klinsmann’s entire nine-month tenure in which he had ample opportunity to test out a large number of players that his selections at the striker position are providing goals, and there is no harm in calling up Bunbury and Taylor to play if Agudelo and Boyd are injured or if the United States needs a substitute later in the game to bring aggressive attacking play. It is a fair argument to contend that Freddy Adu, Joe Gyau, or Brek Shea could be listed as one of the forwards with Altidore. Agudelo, and Boyd filling the other roster slots at forward. For this writer, Klinsmann has enough firepower in the midfield and at the second striker position to qualify for the World Cup with the young forwards selected by this writer. Klinsmann will have more opportunities to call up different players than those proposed here; and the United States has no excuse to not qualify for the World Cup even if Klinsmann does not opt to try to improve the United States at positions where it is weak.
This writer’s starters are in bold and italics.
Goalkeepers:
1.)Tim Howard #1
2.) Brad Guzan
3.) Matt Reis
Outside Backs:
4.)Steve Cherundolo #2
5.) Eric Lichaj #6
6.) Fabian Johnson
7.) Zach Loyd
Note: Timothy Chandler is a quality outside backs, but this author foresees some last minute excuse why Chandler will be deemed unfit to play by Nuremberg.
-This writer would have selected Jonathan Spector (if he weren’t injured) given his performances against the likes of Spain, Brazil, and others over the years. Spector is heavily criticized; but, for this writer, he is a skilled soccer player with sufficient speed and quickness to play international soccer.
-The four defenders listed above are more than capable of performing well in World Cup qualifiers based on their past performances; and, if one or two of the players above become injured, the United States can also use Kofi Sarkodie and Zarek Valentin who despite heavy criticism for their Olympic qualifying performances appeared to possess the skill and quickness to play the style of proactive soccer that Klinsmann seeks.
Center Backs:
8.) Geoff Cameron #4
9.) George John # 3
10.) Jay DeMerit
11.) Michael Parkhurst
Note: Carlos Bocanegra should be called up if Jay DeMerit is deemed not healthy enough to play for some reason. For this writer, DeMerit’s performances in the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup as a center back were superior to Bocanegra’s center back performances, although Bocanegra has done pretty well at center back and left back against top opponents. DeMerit appears to be a more imposing, skilled, and an even quicker defender than Bocanegra-which was on display against the elite competition in the 2009 Confederations Cup and in the 2010 World Cup. The United States needs to begin using younger center backs to give them the experience the United States will need in the future.
-Any United States soccer fan needs to accept the reality that the United States national team even in their greatest victories have had to make up for a lack of technical skill on the ball in the center of defense with enormous amounts of running and sheer will power. The United States defense has survived games against the world’s best teams rather than demonstrating superior defending and quickness when forced to defend countries like Spain and Brazil. In the 2009 Confederations Cup when the United States did not have Michael Bradley to play Brazil in the final, Brazil came back from a two goals deficit by overwhelming the United States with superior skill and ball movement. Brazil knew they could score three goals on the United States, and Brazil simply continued to attack, created shots, and score until they had beaten the United States.
-Klinsmann must begin to use more skilled, younger, and faster center backs or the United States will suffer greatly in the 2014 World Cup, should the United States qualify.
Defensive/Holding Midfielders:
12.) Michael Bradley #5
13.) Jermaine Jones
*Again this writer has the defensive midfielder as the number 5 because this is what Brazil does, and the best way to learn and improve is to copy the best. Klinsmann prefers the system where the defensive midfielder wears number 6 which is a little antiquated, but Klinsmann also likes playing three defensive midfielders at the same time and calling it proactive, attacking soccer.
If Michael Bradley can perform well in Série A and has the speed and skill to make excellent tackles like this one above on the lightning fast Mirko Vucinic, then why did Klinsmann not even play Bradley against France when the United States was playing in Paris against a good French squad?
Attacking Midfielders:
14.) Clint Dempsey #8
15.) Landon Donovan #7
16.) Benny Feilhaber #10
17.) Freddy Adu #11 (second striker)
18.) Joe Corona
19.) Mix Diskerud
20.) Joe Gyau
Preemptive Note on Forwards:
-Klinsmann has only been using one striker, and it’s conceivable that he could use Dempsey as a sort of hybrid-striker with 5 midfielders behind him.
-Dempsey has been scoring most of the goals for the United States, and at this point it appears that most of the goals will be coming from the midfield especially if Klinsmann (however unlikely) allows the most skilled American midfielders to play at the same time – which is something he has not done.
Tony Taylor
Forwards & Strikers: (For better or for worse, Klinsmann will likely only play one striker at a time without a second striker lining up with him to create more scoring opportunities and combination play in the final third)
21.) Juan Agudelo (injured) #9
22.) Terrence Boyd (starting if Agudelo is injured)
23.) Teal Bunbury
Teal Bunbury
-Possible Future Option: Tony Taylor. Taylor has not played enough for the United States at any age group to draw any definitive conclusions, but Taylor appears to be a skilled, quick, fast, and aggressive striker that finishes well. Despite playing for Estoril Praia in the second division in Portugal, there is no way that a professional team in Portugal (even in the second division) would play an unathletic and untechnically skilled played especially as a striker
NOTE: Juan Agudelo is recovering from a knee injury, and this writer predicts he’ll be ready for qualifiers. If not, an additional striker could be included in the roster or a player like Adu could be listed as a forward along with perhaps Brek Shea.
Tony Taylor is one of several young Americans looking to break into first division soccer abroad. Taylor currently plays for Estoril Praia in the Portuguese second division
Soon Jürgen Klinsmann will be selecting a 23-man World Cup qualifying roster. Normally, a 23-man roster consists of 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders (4 center backs & 4 outside backs), 8-9 midfielders (2-3 defensive midfielders, 5-6 attacking midfielders), 4 forwards (out and out strikers, second strikers, target forwards, outside forwards).
Nothing about Klinsmann’s coaching tenure suggests he has the foresight or the ability to judge talent to select any new players or incorporate players from the January MLS roster with the established American players playing in Europe or MLS. He has a strong tendency to continue to call-up and field his personal favorites as well as the German Dual-Citizenship players. The United States victory against Italy should be credited to Tim Howard’s saves and Clint Dempsey’s goal as opposed to Klinsmann’s roster and line-up selections. Klinsmann will likely use the victory against Italy as validation that his philosophy is taking root and paying dividends, but Italy did not even start Daniele De Rossi or Giorgio Chiellini. Additionally, Cesare Prandelii did not even put Mario Balotelli on the roster, and Balotelli would have run amok on Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra. The amount of saves that Tim Howard was forced to make against Italy without Balotelli even playing should make Klinsmann rethink his defensive choices and his other options.
-Below is a list of players that should be in the player pool for the roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Notes:
-Klinsmann has some favorites that are not listed here that this writer believes do not possess the skill level to be there: Edgar Castillo, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Jose Francisco Torres, Kyle Beckerman, and Edson Buddle (despite his fantastic thigh to volley goal against Slovenia).
-Beckerman is not quick enough or fast enough to play international soccer, and he frequently fouls and hacks players that easily beat him off the dribble or simply run past him into open space.
-Castillo plays out of control, is frequently caught out of position, and is very easy to outmuscle.
-Torres either does not trust his weaker right foot or he is reluctant to use it which impedes his ability to play balls all over the field and receive and release the ball quickly. Torres will frequently hold the ball on his left foot as he dribbles around in a circle while keeping the ball on his stronger left foot as opposed to simply using his right foot to dribble the ball or play a simple side-footed pass. Additionally, he has not shown the ability to play final balls or create scoring chances as Feilhaber and Adu have down time and time again against elite opponents. Torres like Shea is an example of a player that Klinsmann plays out of some sort of favoritism which is unwarranted by any specific evidence or performance which can be cited to support his favoritism. Bob Bradley was criticized for picking a few favorites, but Klinsmann takes favoritism to a whole new level.
-Buddle is a good player, but he does not have the same dynamism, skill, speed, finishing,and quickness that many of the other United States strikers have. To be fair, Buddle did score a nice volley on Slovenia that registered very high on the difficulty scale, but this goal was an aberration to how Buddle normally plays. He doesn’t have the same amount of off the ball movement, creativity, and directness that many of the younger strikers coming through the pipeline have.
-Keep in mind that this is a pool of players that are within the realm of possibility. This is not a 23-man roster of solely the very best players according to this writer. If the reader is wondering why Kenny Cooper and Eddie Johnson are on this list, they are on this list because both have demonstrated good skill internationally and at the club level when they are played with good players that can play them balls to feet and provide them with good service. Johnson like Altidore has an advanced skilled set and great athleticism that needs to be exploited more by more aggressive play. Altidore and Johnson have a tendency to not run at defenders and attack the goal as much as they should given their skill level and athleticism. Johnson has looked good playing with Feilhaber in the 2007 Copa America to the extent that even Maradona commented that he thought Johnson looked dangerous against Argentina, and Johnson looked good when he received good service from Adu while playing with Adu in Greece. Cooper has frequently played with fellow strike partners and attacking midfielders that did not provide him with quality passes or play the ball to his feet; and, it is because of this that Cooper has not been able to show his full potential which his limited time playing with Thierry Henry has already provided a glimpse of.
-There are more good soccer players than the reader probably thinks, and many of them are unknown to Major League Soccer and this writer. There are surely players in America that only certain scouts and other people know about, but unfortunately this writer is unaware of their existence and the extent of their skill. Former players, current players, scouts, and coaches need to start promoting skilled American soccer players that are under the radar or that have slipped through the cracks. Ex-Players such as Eric Wynalda and others have criticized MLS and the United States Soccer Federation for not scouting well or considering their player recommendations. Many players in MLS have even slipped through the cracks such as Quincy Amarikwa, and central defenders like Geoff Cameron should have been used by the United States national team years ago. Cameron did not develop that level of skill on the ball in the past year. It’s a wonder than someone that tall, quick, fast, and skilled was not incorporated into the national team sooner. Even now, Klinsmann has made it clear that Geoff Cameron is a third or fourth string center back in Klinsmann’s depth charts.
-The reader will notice that some names such as Freddy Adu and Clint Dempsey are listed twice due to the nature of their style of play. Adu can play as a trequartista or as a second striker like Totti or Ronaldinho do (This is only a comparison of the position they play. Although this writer strongly believes Adu is a very talented player that should always start for the United States, this is not a claim that Adu is as good as Totti or Ronaldinho who were true masters with Ronaldinho being a grandmaster on par with Zidane and Ronaldo). Only time will tell how good Adu becomes, and this will probably depend on how he is used in MLS and the quality of the teammates that he has at his disposal. Adu is very much a victim of playing with players that see the game slower and who are unable to combine with and play at the same speed and level as Adu. Adu has been criticized for supposedly not making it in Europe, but the Benfica team he played on was truly stacked and Adu had to weather multiple coaching changes in quick succession. Ultimately, Adu should be playing in a higher quality league than MLS; and, despite being loaned out to various clubs, observers should remember that Adu did sign for Benfica where he scored goals and demonstrated the ability to play high-level European soccer.
With all that being said, here is a list of players that should be considered by Jürgen Klinsmann, and some of them are well below the skill level of others.
