Who Should the USMNT Start After the Gold Cup?

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan

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

 

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

Right Back: Yedlin

Center Back: Farrell

Center Back: Alvarado

Left Back: Acosta

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

Midfield Three: Dillon Powers, Michael Bradley, Sebastian Lletget

Center Midfielder: Powers

Center Midfielder: Bradley

Attacking Midfielder: Lletget

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

Right Wing: Villarreal

Center Forward: Rubin

Left Wing: Jamieson

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Post Gold Cup National Team XI:

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