By: COLIN REESE
There’s just no predicting Jürgen Klinsmann’s rosters for the United States Men’s National Team.
Trying to guess his rosters is problematic, and he frequently omits players that are deserving of a roster spot.
At least commenting on who deserves a spot doesn’t require a crystal ball.
Although formations vary, a 23-man squad somewhat limits how many players of each position can fit on the roster.
The United States needs three goalkeepers, four center backs, two right backs, and two left backs, but after this, some decisions have to be made about how many defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, and forwards the roster needs.
Of the 23 roster slots, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Brad Guzan, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Mix Diskerud, Fabian Johnson, Alejandro Bedoya, and Joe Corona need to be on the roster.
It’s worth mentioning that Benny Feilhaber deserves to be on the roster, but Klinsmann seems to not like him.
Starting with the defense, surely outside backs DeAndre Yedlin and Greg Garza need to be on the roster.
Likewise, center backs Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks are too good to leave off the roster, especially given their youth, skill, and athleticism.
With William Yarbrough as the back-up goalkeeper to Guzan, this is already 14 players. This includes two goalkeepers, two center backs, a right back, two left backs, four midfielders, and three forwards.
Since Bradley can help the squad more as a box-to-box midfielder than as strictly a defensive midfielder, two roster spots should go to defensive midfielders, and Geoff Cameron and Maurice Edu or Perry Kitchen deserve these places.
Edu can probably help the national team most as a center back where he frequently plays in MLS, so Cameron and Kitchen are good choices to occupy defensive midfielder spots.
Edu, Alvarado, and Brooks make three center backs, and Andrew Farrel who is having an excellent MLS season would be a strong choice to fill the fourth center back place on the squad.
Farrell would be new to the national team, but it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve it.
The USMNT needs a fast and skilled center back that can defend on the ground and in the air, and Farrell is a technical player that is really hard to beat for pace.
Another new player that the United States would benefit from is Dillon Powers who is a two-way midfielder that can play anywhere in the midfield.
His skill, work-rate, and defending are bolstered by the fact that he’s a player with enough speed and endurance to perform at the international level against better competition.
As a general policy, Klinsmann cannot afford to keep excluding this new breed of better young American players now playing in MLS.
In keeping with the need to bring in more of these new MLS players into the fold, London Woodberry is another player ready for international play.
The right back fills a need the national team has for another right back that can defend and go forward at the international level, and Woodberry looks to be the player to fill this need.
The American attack needs so more firepower on the bench to back up Dempsey, Altidore, and Agudelo, so Gyasi Zardes and Rubio Rubin have demonstrated that they have what it takes to perform well as forwards on the international stage.
Zardes is a powerful, fast, and skilled Number 9 that plays well as a wing, whereas Rubin can play well as either a second striker or as a Number 9.
Finally, the squad needs a third goalkeeper, and Bill Hamid is qualified to fill this role.
So, what would this roster look like in a more organized fashion?
Here is the 23-man roster discussed above:
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, William Yarbrough, Bill Hamid
Defenders (8): Ventura Alvarado, John Brooks, Maurice Edu, Andrew Farrell*, DeAndre Yedlin, Greg Garza, London Woodberry*, Fabian Johnson
Midfielders (7): Michael Bradley, Geoff Cameron, Perry Kitchen, Dillon Powers*, Mix Diskerud, Alejandro Bedoya, Joe Corona
Forwards (5): Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Gyasi Zardes, Rubio Rubin
* = New players
That 23-man squad consists of 12 MLS players, 7 players from European leagues, and four players from Liga MX.
How would this USMNT line up?