Who Should the USMNT Start vs. El Salvador?

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Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports)
Joe Benny Corona (Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports)

 

The Starting XI will be greatly affected by the four new players added to the United States Men’s National Team’s roster.

Jürgen Klinsmann added four new players to the USMNT’s Gold Cup roster off the preliminary 35-man roster, and he sent four players back to their club teams.

Per the rules of the tournament, at the conclusion of the group stage, Klinsmann was allowed to add up to four players off his preliminary roster to his 23-man roster, if he removed four players from the current roster.

The USMNT added Eddie Johnson, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and Alan Gordon to the roster, so Klinsmann chose to select two strikers and two center backs. Klinsmann sent Herculez Gomez, Jack McInerney, Corey Ashe, and Oguchi Onyewu back to their club teams.

Gomez and Onyewu were dropped from the roster due to injuries, whereas McInerney and Ashe were dropped presumably due to the fact that they didn’t impress Klinsmann (Ashe had a minor injury before the Gold Cup).

Both McInerney and Ashe are an example of Klinsmann filling up roster spots with players he has no intention of using. One has to wonder why two players who he was more likely to use weren’t put on the preliminary roster or the final Gold Cup roster.

Klinsmann didn’t add Benny Feilhaber or Graham Zusi as midfielders, but Stuart Holden, Joe Corona, Landon Donovan, Mix Diskerud, and even José Torres give Klinsmann good options in the midfield.

The area where the U.S. needed to strengthen its roster was at defensive midfielder, center back, and right back, but the preliminary roster didn’t offer Klinsmann these options (except at center back), which is an example of his continued inability to call up balanced rosters.

Of the four players added to the roster, it seems likely that Klinsmann would definitely start Eddie Johnson at first-striker with Besler at center back, as it has been reported that Gonzalez will not join the U.S. until the semifinal game, if the U.S. beats El Salvador.

Michael Orozco has been playing well in the Gold Cup, and the argument can be made that Orozco is simply a better soccer player than both Besler and Gonzalez.

Besler is less one-footed than he used to be but still favors his left foot and Gonzalez isn’t as quick, fast, or as skilled as Orozco.

Orozco also seems less prone to falling asleep on defense compared to Gonzalez.

 

Based on these new additions Klinsmann’s likely Starting XI just might be:

Nick Rimando; Michael Parkhurst, Michael Orozco, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Kyle Beckerman; Stuart Holden, Mix Diskerud; Joe Corona; Eddie Johnson, Landon Donovan.

 

In all fairness to Klinsmann, this is a fairly solid line-up, even if Klinsmann’s 35-man and 23-man rosters omitted a number of very promising and even proven players.

It’s possible that Klinsmann might elect to chose either Holden or Diskerud to start, thus opening up a Starting XI spot for José Torres, who really did have a strong game against Costa Rica, but Klinsmann might start Beckerman, Holden, and Diskerud at the same time.

Diskerud and Holden aren’t anything close to defensive midfielders, whether one is referring to midfield destroyers or more box-to-box midfielders, but the two did a good job when they shared the defensive workload in the midfield.

Beckerman’s actual skill-level is good, but his lack of athleticism makes him a liability in the midfield because when he gets beaten off the dribble or with passes, he tends to go into reckless tackles as a result of the inability to run fast enough or move quickly enough to get into position to make clean tackles.

 

World Soccer Source supports using  the Starting XI option below:

Rimando; Parkhurst, Orozco, Besler, Beasley; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Johnson.

 

World Soccer Source obviously prefers the Starting XI option presented above, but Klinsmann is more likely to use the option presented as Klinsmann’s likely Starting XI. Klinsmann could possibly decide that Beckerman might not have the athleticism to keep up with El Salvador and use World Soccer Source’s preferred Starting XI, which is surely an option that Klinsmann himself has been considering for days.

Whoever the USMNT elects to start, it seems likely that Holden, Diskerud, Corona, Donovan, and Johnson will all be starting, and this collection of midfielders and attackers is a solid group that would do well for the USMNT’s A Team as well.

Johnson should bring the speed, movement off the ball, and skill to allow all of the players above an excellent target to whom they can play final balls, and that target has world-class speed for any level of international soccer.

Hopefully Klinsmann and the United States learned their lesson that Joe Corona is an essential player in the midfield because he gives Diskerud and Holden a strong passing option in the midfield, which helps to connect the midfield to the attack.

Corona was missed for the 80 minutes that he wasn’t playing in the previous game against Costa Rica, which the U.S. didn’t need to win.

 

The strongest option for the USMNT would be to use a Front Six consisting of: Holden, Diskerud, Donovan, Corona, Shea, and Johnson.

This Front Six with Parkhurst, Orozco, Besler, and Beasley as the back four and Rimando in goal should give the United States the tools needed to win.

 

USMNT: Risk, Failure, and Success

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Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)
Benji Joya (8). (Photo: MexSport)

 

The best athlete in the history of American sports said over and over again that failure was the key to his success. That athlete was Michael Jordan.

American soccer has more potential for success right now than at any time in the entire history of soccer in the United States. The key to success is actually fielding unproven players at the international level who have demonstrated the potential ability and the athleticism to be competitive with elite soccer nations.

A vast majority of the coaches in the United States including Jürgen Klinsmann are afraid to risk losing by playing starting line-ups made up of several internationally unproven players in meaningful games, but there is a way to accomplish this without jeopardizing qualification for the 2014 World Cup.

The solution is quite simple: use a Starting XI made up of proven players and fill the remaining roster spots with new but talented players in addition to players who are too good to exclude.

 

After the Gold Cup, the USMNT could start the follow starting line-up without taking any more risks than usual:

Tim Howard; Jonathan Spector, Maurice Edu, Geoff Cameron, Eric Lichaj; Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones; Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey; Jozy Altidore.

 

The Starting XI listed above isn’t really a risky line-up by any means, as all of those players have ample experience playing international soccer at a respectable level.

If the whole world considers the United States Men’s National Team to be a team with just a few technically-skilled players, then why not use friendlies to field new players who have demonstrated the ability to offer an improvement over many of the players Jürgen Klinsmann has been using?

The sort of undertaking described above is considered risky by many, but couldn’t it also be considered risky not to attempt to strengthen areas where the USMNT is weak?

Beginning to improve the caliber of players fielded by the United States isn’t a question of teaching experienced players to play differently, but it is a question of actually starting promising players who could do very poorly in their first game or games.

On the other hand, maybe they’d do well.

The first step in this process is easy because the first step is deciding which players among the players that Klinsmann has been starting in World Cup qualifying absolutely have to start, and this list of names is short.

Tim Howard or Brad Guzan have to start. Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey have to start, but who else absolutely has to start? Maybe Landon Donovan has to start too.

Looking at that list, that list includes five names for four starting spots leaving seven Starting XI spots up for grabs. Starting line-up space for seven open spots leaves the door open for a lot of possibilities.

Looking at right back, DeAndre Yedlin of the Seattle Sounders seems like a risk worth taking, given his performances in MLS and in the U-20 World Cup, not to mention the two-way threat he poses. Yedlin has speed that’s close to Chris Klute’s speed, and using them as the outside backs would certainly improve the U.S.’ ability to attack and defend out wide.

Moving to center back, Geoff Cameron has demonstrated that he has a level of athleticism and skill, not to mention size, that has never really been given a chance to partner with a center back of similar qualities.

Why can’t Gale Agbossoumonde, Andrew Farrell, or Shane O’Neill be given a shot to start with Cameron? What’s the real argument against that?

Is there any proof that Omar Gonzalez or Matt Besler can outplay Agbossoumonde, Farrell, or O’Neill in an international game when they are partnered with Cameron? Those are all good MLS players, so trying them out should be something that the USMNT’s coaching staff and American soccer writers are interested in seeing.

None of those three players have been given the chance to show how they can perform compared to Besler and Gonzalez, but Besler was started against Mexico in Estadio Azteca in a World Cup qualifier with essentially no significant international experience. Besler and Gonzalez have done well, but have they really proven that they are the best?

At left back, Chris Klute hasn’t been given the chance to show how he can do compared to DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson. Beasley and Johnson aren’t even really left backs. Klute actually is a two-way left back, and he’s a very fast and skilled two-way left back who uses both feet.

If Americans really want to see better soccer, where’s the backing for at least using a friendly to field a backline of Yedlin, Agbossoumonde, Cameron, and Klute with Howard as the goalkeeper? Certainly, the United States has never fielded a back four with that degree of speed and technical ability.

There doesn’t appear to be any real risk, particularly in a friendly. The U.S. might lose, but the U.S. might lose anyway. Klinsmann’s World Cup qualifying rosters and line-ups have been completely make-shift and experimental anyway.

All of the players listed above are players who are garnering attention from the American soccer media and American soccer fans. None of those players are soccer players taken off the street; those are all well-known professional players.

One of the arguments that Klinsmann’s methods have been working is the USMNT’s victory over Italy.

The U.S. played Italy in a friendly, only to have Mario Balotelli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, and Daniele De Rossi not start. The USMNT can’t really say that it beat Italy convincingly, if Balotelli wasn’t playing. Cesare Prandelli and Italy clearly felt like they didn’t need to use their best players against the U.S. because, if Italy lost, everyone would know Italy didn’t use its best players.

Certainly, Clint Dempsey played well against Italy, but Americans already knew that Dempsey could perform well against elite opponents.

Rather than not taking any risks in friendlies, the USMNT would be better served to see how much potential it could show if a bunch of young, athletic, and skilled defenders were allowed to play with a slightly older Geoff Cameron who too hasn’t really been given a fair chance to play with an adequate center back partner.

Assuming Michael Bradley is playing as a defensive midfielder and Landon Donovan is out on the right wing, why not start Freddy Adu or Joe Corona as a central attacking midfielder with Clint Dempsey out left? This group of players has been used before with success, at least with Adu playing with Dempsey and Donovan. Whereas, Corona hasn’t really been given the chance to play with Dempsey yet.

With the players mentioned above, there are only a few line-up choices left to make for the purpose of this experiment.

Does the U.S. use another defensive midfielder or perhaps a box-to-box midfielder with Bradley, or should the U.S. start two forwards? If the USMNT plays another midfielder with Bradley, is there any reason not to let Benji Joya start with Bradley?

Furthermore, who should the U.S. start at striker?

Jozy Altidore has improved greatly over the past two seasons in Holland, and the players listed above provide him with the service he needs to score goals.

On the other hand, if Altidore has already proven himself by scoring so many goals in Holland as well as showing that he can score for the U.S. when provided with service, shouldn’t the USMNT see how Juan Agudelo or Terrence Boyd can play with the players listed above?

Lots of questions. Few answers.

It’s time to start answering some of those questions, and the way to answer those questions is to start the following Starting XI:

Howard; Yedlin, Agbossoumonde/Farrell/O’Neill, Cameron, Klute; Bradley, Joya/Holden; Donovan, Adu/Corona/Feilhaber, Dempsey; Agudelo/Boyd.

 

USMNT Reverse Moneyball

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M'Baye Niang (left) and Mario Balotelli (right). (Photo: Icon Sport)
M’Baye Niang (left) and Mario Balotelli (right). (Photo: Icon Sport)

 

Throw the stats out the window because the United States Men’s National Team needs to start fielding the most talented and athletic players as soon as possible in order to close the gap with better soccer nations.

American soccer writers and fans need to adopt a Reverse Moneyball mentality, where statistics take a back seat to an examination of technical ability and athleticism.

Statistics, whether they are traditional statistics or newer and more revolutionary statistics, aren’t as important in soccer as they are in baseball.

In soccer, statistics don’t really show the following things very well: touch, ball control, vision, two-footed skill, quickness, speed, tackling ability, heading, recovery defense, crossing ability, mental toughness, coolness in front of the goal, and overall technical ability.

There are ways to calculate some of the criteria listed above, but this term, “Reverse Moneyball,” is a convenient way to describe placing a higher premium on the visual scouting of players’ technical ability and athleticism over statistics like club minutes and assists.

Reverse Moneyball is therefore the visual evaluation of the technical and athletic ability of players compared to the very best players in the world, and Reverse Moneyball is a somewhat incomplete simplification of what actual Moneyball or sabermetrics is.

If an American soccer player doesn’t display a soft first-touch, dexterity with both feet, good vision, competitive athleticism, and good overall technical ability, then that player shouldn’t be used by the USMNT because they won’t stand a chance against players such as Mario Balotelli, Neymar, Arturo Vidal, Marcelo, Thomas Müller, Paul Pogba, Thiago Silva, and Raphaël Varane.

Many of the best American soccer players play a brand of soccer that is above that which is present in MLS.

Most of the best American soccer players in MLS aren’t meshing well with teammates who want to play an inferior brand of soccer based on playing the ball wide and hitting crosses into the box, and this conflict affects the better players’ ability to succeed and play one-to-two touch soccer.

This MLS season, the ever-controversial Benny Feilhaber has once again been written off as an inconsistent player with poor statistics and even several games without playing time this season in MLS, which isn’t an elite league, thus making Feilhaber look even worse to his critics.

Nevertheless, Feilhaber’s MLS passing stats are quite good, which can be verified by looking at the Chalkboard feature on MLS’ official site.

This label of being inconsistent due to a lack of a certain number of assists and a low number of goals overlooks Feilhaber’s most important qualities: his ability to foster a rhythm of good passing amongst his teammates and his ability to unlock defenses with final balls.

When Feilhaber plays, he sets a tempo of one-to-two touch soccer, which causes his teammates to follow suit, and this quality has been on display in the 2007 Gold Cup, the 2007 Copa America, the 2009 Confederations Cup, and the 2010 World Cup.

A higher premium also needs to be placed on MLS players such as Juan Agudelo whose creativity, skill level, and athleticism is more along the lines of players like Clint Dempsey.

No statistic will even show a player’s ability to receive a ball in such a way as to turn away from the oncoming defender without being dispossessed, nor will any statistic ever show a player’s ability to calmly play the correct pass in fast-paced international games where the time that a player has on the ball is very limited.

Tossing the statistics out the window and really examining how American players’ technical ability and athleticism compares to the best players in the world is the first step to finding the best American players and throwing them into the international deep end, so the USMNT can start playing to win.

 

WHO SHOULD THE USMNT START VS. COSTA RICA?

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Landon Donovan (left), Herculez Gomez (center), and Joe Corona (right) have all earned the start against Costa Rica. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Landon Donovan (left), Herculez Gomez (center), and Joe Corona (right) have all earned the start against Costa Rica. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

 

As Eric Wynalda remarked while commentating for Fox during the USA versus Cuba game, nobody knows what Jürgen Klinsmann is thinking or going to do.

 

Klinsmann made a statement where he said that Costa Rica presented the first real test for the USMNT, and that’s an accurate statement.

 

In all fairness to Cuba, Cuba showed how skilled and athletic players can score on the U.S. at any time, and José Ciprian showed this with an outstanding side-volleyed golazo against the United States Men’s National Team.

 

Looking at the defenders, the midfielders, and the forwards or forward, Klinsmann has a variety of options at his disposal, and despite some of his bizarre formations before the Gold Cup, Klinsmann has been fielding Gold Cup starting line-ups that make sense.

 

Additionally, Klinsmann is making the correct substitutions when he sees a need to correct something.

 

Overlooking some of his roster omissions like Perry Kitchen, Klinsmann has been fielding starting line-ups that tactically make sense, and one constant has been the inclusion of Kyle Beckerman in the starting line-up, as he is the only midfield destroyer on the roster.

 

Furthermore, Beckerman isn’t a more dynamic defensive midfielder like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, or Geoff Cameron.

 

All three of these defensive midfielders have the athleticism to play as midfield destroyers while still picking their opportunities to go forward.

 

On the other hand, Beckerman doesn’t have the endurance or speed to run as much or as fast as Jones, Bradley, and Cameron, which forces Beckerman to conserve his energy by always playing very deep.

 

Even when Bradley, Jones, and Cameron play as the midfield destroyer, they certainly cover much more territory, even when they restrict themselves to just patrolling the very back of the midfield

 

Unless Klinsmann elects to start Mix Diskerud and Stuart Holden together in order to allow two people to fulfill the extreme running endurance that other American defensive midfielders can deliver on their own, then Beckerman will be starting as a midfield destroyer with Holden, Diskerud, or both supporting him.

 

Compared to Holden and Diskerud who are really more attacking midfielders, Cameron, Bradley, and Jones are like apex predators who can run endlessly and deliver the running necessary to play as a midfield destroyer for the full 90 minutes.

 

While Klinsmann has been using Bradley, Jones, and Cameron in two-man tandems, all three of those players can run the entire game in order to play defense as well as being some of the main protagonists in the passing play of the USMNT’s midfield.

 

Looking at who Klinsmann will start and who Klinsmann should start, it seems obvious that Nick Rimando will be starting in goal with DaMarcus Beasley playing as a left back.

 

Beasley as a right back with Edgar Castillo as a left back would be a real curveball, so it seems likely that Klinsmann will start Michael Parkhurst at right back with DaMarcus Beasley at left back.

 

At center back, Michael Orozco Fiscal is playing very well, and he looks to be more skilled and quicker than both Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu.

 

Klinsmann will likely start Orozco with Goodson, but it would be interesting to see if Klinsmann decided that he needed Parkhurst and Orozco as the center backs against a Costa Rican side that is quite frankly much better than Belize or Cuba.

 

In all likelihood, Klinsmann’s back four will be Parkhurst, Orozco, Goodson, and Beasley, but a back four of Beltran, Parkhurst, Orozco, and Beasley might just be a better option as the competition in the Gold Cup goes up.

 

In front of the defensive back four, Klinsmann will likely start Beckerman, and it will be interesting to see if he elects to start a diamond midfield formation of Beckerman playing as a destroyer with Holden and Diskerud just in front of him as essentially attacking midfielders playing like a tandem of box-to-box midfielders.

 

This set-up would protect Beckerman from being too exposed to being beaten by quicker opponents as often, and it would allow the American midfield to have two midfielders in Holden and Diskerud who can maintain possession and pose a real threat going forward.

 

In the diamond midfield formation, Corona could play as the tip of the diamond as a central attacking midfielder, trequartista, enganche, meia-armador, or any other synonymous term one wishes to use to describe the playmaker playing behind the strikers.

 

Landon Donovan and Herculez Gomez could likely start in front of the diamond midfield formation with Donovan as the second striker, or perhaps Klinsmann will elect to use a different formation all together.

 

Therefore, the coach of the USMNT has many options against Costa Rica.

 

He can start Beckerman with Holden or Diskerud deeper in the midfield with a line of three attacking midfielders in front of them, or he could elect to use the diamond formation discussed above.

 

Below are three options that Klinsmann might employ, but it should be noted that Klinsmann probably has several others up his sleeve:

 

Rimando; Parkhurst, Orozco, Goodson, Beasley; Beckerman, Holden; Corona, Diskerud, Donovan; Gomez

 

Rimando; Parkhurst, Onyewu, Orozco, Beasley; Beckerman; Holden, Diskerud; Corona; Gomez, Donovan.

 

Rimando; Beltran, Parkhurst, Orozco, Beasley; Beckerman, Diskerud; Corona, Holden, Donovan; Gomez.

 

World Soccer Source would like to see an entirely different option than the three proposed above.

 

The World Soccer Source option eliminates Beckerman from the starting line-up and tasks Diskerud and Holden with sharing the work load to fulfill the defensive duties of Beckerman, while bringing more athleticism and more creative and dynamic midfield play that is both able to keep possession and unlock the Costa Rican defense from a deeper role or when one of the pair advances forward more to attack.

 

Shea had an off-game against Cuba, but the talent, speed, size, and the willingness to attack are strong qualities in Shea’s game.

 

World Soccer Source is willing to write off a performance as bad as Shea’s against Cuba as just a bad outing characterized by reluctant play, crosses sailed over the goal and out of bounds, and some hesitancy to control one cross-field pass soon enough, which Eric Wynalda discussed during Fox’s broadcast.

 

Shea started to improve a little bit toward the end of the first half, and World Soccer Source supports using a weapon like Shea against the strongest opponent the USMNT has faced in this tournament so far, even if Shea had a bad game against Cuba. When he’s on his game Shea disrupts defenses and poses a threat to opponents.

 

Therefore, World Soccer Source proposes using the following Starting XI against Costa Rica:

Rimando; Beltran, Parkhurst, Orozco, Beasley; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.

 

On a final note, it’s unclear whether Klinsmann views Chris Wondolowski’s recent string of goals as a reason to start him over Gomez, or if he views Wondolowski’s nose for goal as a good option to save for the final 20 minutes of the game, as Eric Wynalda suggested on the air for Fox during the U.S.’ game against Cuba.

 

JOE CORONAZO, USMNT 4 – 1 CUBA

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Joe Corona. (Photo: Club Tijuana)
Joe Corona. (Photo: Club Tijuana)

 

Joe Corona silenced his critics with just one strike: a first-time golazo from outside of the area.

 

The competition was poor, but the technique and bravado of the goal weren’t.

 

The United States Men’s National Team defeated Cuba 4-1, but Joe Corona showcased his class and work rate to many people who hadn’t seen these qualities already.

 

Many people seemed to need to see Corona’s skill-level in the Gold Cup because they didn’t feel that the Copa Libertadores was a worthy enough proving ground.

 

From an American perspective, Joe Corona was the story in this game, and he wasn’t just the story of the game because of the first-time golazo he bent into the corner off the bounce from outside the 18.

 

With so many American soccer writers and members of the media continuing to refer to Corona as “inexperienced” and “unproven,” that one goal made a lot of his critics eat their words and rethink their assessments of Corona.

 

Even if the goal was against Cuba, it was a legitimate statement goal to silence the doubters.

 

Regardless of the competition in this particular game, Corona isn’t an unknown player or a player that needs to prove very much, especially to American soccer writers who should have seen him play on numerous occasions over the last year for Tijuana in La Liga MX and in the Copa Libertadores.

 

A closer inspection of Corona’s play reveals a player who interchangeably uses the inside and outside of both feet, who moves well without the ball, who plays incisive and first-time passes, and who scores as well as he passes.

 

This ability to set up goals and score goals causes many people to struggle to understand what Corona’s position is or where he should play, but a goal-scoring playmaker isn’t a new concept.

 

Although the competition was poor, Joe Corona showed what he could do in a U.S. jersey against an athletic and actually quite-skilled opponent who wanted to win.

 

 

 

Freddy Adu Article From Bahia Notícias

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Freddy Adu (Source: Esporte Clube Bahia)
Freddy Adu (Source: Esporte Clube Bahia)

 

Felipe Santana ( @ffelipesantana ) of Bahia Notícias wrote an article about Freddy Adu entitled, “Questionado, Cristóvão elogia e promete dar chances para Freddy Adu” (Questioned, Cristóvão Praises and Promises to Give Freddy Adu Opportunities) where he included a quote from Adu’s coach at Bahia, Cristóvão Borges, who appeared on the Brazilian show “Bate-bola,” which is on ESPN Brasil.

“Bate-bola” has a double meaning because it means “Q & A” but it is also the warm-up drill where players play one-touch passes, back and forth.

 

Below is the link to the original article by Felipe Santana of Bahia Notícias:

 

http://www.bahianoticias.com.br/esportes/bahia/8396-questionado-cristovao-elogia-e-promete-dar-chances-para-freddy-adu.html

 

The text from the original article, “Questionado, Cristóvão elogia e promete dar chances para Freddy Adu,” is in bold and World Soccer Source’s (Colin Reese’s) translation is in italics.

 

São quase quatro meses de moradia no Brasil. Tempo suficiente para ganhar o carinho de companheiros, funcionários do clube e até a falar português. O tempo, no entanto, não foi suficiente para uma possível análise do seu desempenho dentro de campo. Estamos falando de Freddy Adu.

 

It has been almost four months of living in Brazil. Enough time to win the affection of his teammates, employees of the club, and even to speak Portuguese. The time, all in all, wasn’t enough (to make) an evaluation of his performance on the field possible. We’re talking about Freddy Adu.

 

No Bahia desde o final do mês de março, quando foi envolvido em uma troca com o volante Kléberson, o norte-americano desembarcou em Salvador e automaticamente despertou a curiosidade de todos sobre o seu atual momento técnico. Até porque, quando revelado para o futebol nos Estados Unidos, foi comparado ao rei Pelé.

 

At Bahia since the end of the month of March, when he was involved in a trade for the defensive midfielder, Kléberson, the American got off (the plane) in Salvador and immediately aroused the curiosity of everyone about his actual technical skill-level. Even more so because when he was unveiled to the American soccer (community), he was compared to Pele the King.

 

Adu passou por um período de adaptação ao futebol brasileiro e, mesmo depois disso, não teve chances. No Campeonato Baiano, o meia participou de apenas três partidas, sempre como opção para o decorrer do jogo. Pouco tempo.

 

Adu went through a period of adaptation to Brazilian soccer, and even after this, he didn’t get opportunities. In the Bahia state championship (Baianão/Campeonato Baiano), the attacking midfielder participated in just three games, always as an option to run out the game clock. Little time.

 

Cristóvão Borges chegou, mudou o comportamento da equipe, mas a situação do norte-americano segue a mesma. Quase sempre relacionado, o meia participou apenas dos minutos finais da estreia tricolor na Série A.

 

Cristóvão Borges arrived, changed the behavior/(direction) of the team, but the American’s situation continued just like it was. Almost always put on the roster, the attacking midfielder participated in just the final two minutes of a game in Bahia’s Brasileirão campaign.

 

O treinador do Bahia, ao ser questionado sobre as poucas oportunidades ao atleta, elogiou Freddy Adu. Em compensação, atribuiu o status de reservas ao alto nível de concorrência, segundo ele.

 

The coach of Bahia, upon being asked about the limited opportunities (given) to the player, praised Freddy Adu. On the other hand, he attributed his (Adu’s) position as a substitute to the high level of competition (amongst the squad), according to him (Borges).

 

“Tem muitas qualidades. Tecnicamente é muito bom e acho que pelo tempo que ele passou nos Estados Unidos, tem um entendimento tático do jogo excelente. Lá no Bahia tem uma concorrência muito grande, a briga para jogar é muito boa” – disse em entrevista ao canal ESPN Brasil.

 

“He has many qualities/skills. Technically, he’s very good and I think that due to the time he spent in the U.S., he has an excellent tactical understanding of the game. On Bahia’s roster, there is lots of competition, the fight for playing time is very good” – he said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.

 

Below is the link to another Cristóvão Borges interview with ESPN where he discusses Bahia:

 

http://www.espn.com.br/noticia/341937_a-la-guardiola-cristovao-se-apoia-em-grupo-de-estudos-para-aperfeicoar-o-ousado-bahia

 

There is an interesting quote from the ESPN interview mentioned above which can be found below:

 

Vendo o banco de reservas, apareceu o nome de Freddy Adu. Como é ter um nome conhecido como ele e como está sendo a adaptação dele ao Bahia?
Tem que sentir respeito. Não é só ele, tem Obina, Souza, outros ídolos da torcida, e o tratamento é de respeito. Tem que aproveitar a oportunidade, todos estão tendo chances. Todos precisam ficar bem, por isso estimulo a disputa. Freddy Adu parece brasileiro. Ele está muito à vontade, à vontade até demais. Ele tem boa técnica, muita disciplina tática – o que vem da escola dos Estados Unidos.

 

Translation:

 

Coming to the substitutes, the name Freddy Adu comes up. What is it like to have a known name like his and how has his adjustment to Bahia been?

 

You have to feel proud of him. Not just him, but Obina, Souza, and other fan favorites, and the treatment is of respect. He has to take advantage of his chance, all of them are getting chances. All of them need to keep doing well, because of this I foster the contest (for playing time). Freddy Adu looks Brazilian. He is very loose, almost too loose. He has good technique, good tactical discipline, which comes from the American school (of playing).

 

 

**Special Thanks to Ivan Dias Marques of Correio in Salvador who brought Felipe Santana’s article to my attention. Follow Ivan Dias Marques on Twitter: @ivandmarques

 

**ALL TRANSLATION MISTAKES ARE MY OWN

 

Who Should the USMNT Start Against Cuba?

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Mix Diskerud (Photo: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports)
Mix Diskerud (Photo: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports)

 

Jürgen Klinsmann will likely start a line-up that is something along the lines of what he started in the Guatemala friendly before the first Gold Cup game against Belize, but it’s likely that Klinsmann will start either Stuart Holden or Mix Diskerud over José Torres, who started against Guatemala and Belize.

Torres might start against Cuba, but it would likely be in a more advanced role out left where he started against Belize.

Many American soccer writers such as Ives Galarcep of Soccer by Ives as well as others suggested that Klinsmann didn’t start Herculez Gomez, Oguchi Onyewu, and Stuart Holden against Belize because of the artificial turf in Portland where the game was played.

That seems like a fair assumption with the exception of Onyewu who World Soccer Source believes wasn’t started at center back because Michael Orozco was younger, quicker, and more skilled.

With the next game on grass near Salt Lake City, it is very likely that Holden and Diskerud will start and that Beckerman will start as well.

Starting with the defense, Klinsmann will probably start Nick Rimando in goal, Michael Parkhurst at right back, Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco at center back, and DaMarcus Beasley at left back.

While Parkhurst lost his man on Belize’s goal against the United States, Parkhurst is looking very composed and efficient out at right back. According to the statistics on MLS’ site, Parkhurst completed 113 of 127 passes against Belize, which shows a major involvement in the game and an ability to not lose possession.

At center back, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst have looked much more composed on the ball and more equipped to keep up with quicker attackers than Onyewu has shown.

Klinsmann may start Onyewu with Goodson at center back, but Orozco deserves the start with Goodson.

Beasley continues to surprise at left back, and he is looking too capable of keeping up with attackers and too composed in possession with both feet to be removed from the starting line-up as the left back.

One interesting option would be for Klinsmann to start Beasley as a right back with Edgar Castillo at left back with Parkhurst and Orozco as the center backs.

This option would eliminate Goodson from the Starting XI. Goodson has done nothing wrong, but Parkhurst and Orozco are visibly more skilled and athletic center back options than Goodson and Onyewu. As the tournament goes on, the United States will need to field the best line-up at its disposal.

The so-called Front Six presents even more questions than the defensive back four.

Should Holden and Diskerud start as a line of two faux-defensive midfielders in order to improve the overall skill level of the American midfield behind Landon Donovan, Joe Corona, and Break Shea?

Against Belize, Klinsmann started Beckerman as a midfield destroyer with Corona, Diskerud, and Torres forming a line of three attacking midfielders behind Chris Wondolowski as a first striker and Landon Donovan as a second striker, so Beckerman will likely be in the line-up again.

Jürgen Klinsmann could likely use the following Starting XI: Rimando; Parkhurst, Goodson, Orozco, Beasley; Beckerman; Diskerud, Holden; Corona; Gomez, Donovan.

While Klinsmann’s likely option is close to the strongest option that Klinsmann has at his disposal, this writer supports eliminating Beckerman from the Starting XI.

The more skilled option is a Front Six consisting of: Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.

Therefore, World Soccer Source supports starting the following Starting XI against Cuba: Rimando; Beasley, Parkhurst, Orozco, Castillo; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.

What’s the rationale behind World Soccer Source’s Starting XI?

The basic premise is that the line-up proposed above includes a higher number of technically-skilled players with a defensive back four with two faster and more skilled center backs.

Additionally, Holden and Diskerud showed against Guatemala that they were able to play the requisite amount of defense while also drastically improving the quality of the passing in the American midfield, and that game proves more than the game against a low-ranked Belize side that did surprisingly well, while showing that even really low-ranked teams have players who display good athleticism and good basic fundamentals.

World Soccer Source sees Herculez Gomez starting over Chris Wondolowski despite Wondolowski’s hat trick and well-executed goals off diving headers. Gomez is a better player than Wondolowski, and Gomez plays better against better competition.

Gomez showed some good chemistry with Corona, and the most potent attack for the USMNT is Donovan, Corona, and Shea behind Gomez with Diskerud and Holden playing deeper in the midfield in a truly unorthodox formation with no defensive midfielder.

Klinsmann might start Beckerman again, and there is a logical rationale for doing so as Beckerman is the only defensive midfielder on the roster.

To be fair to Beckerman, his actual technical ability is good and his soccer IQ is high, but he’s simply not blessed with the speed and quickness that allow him to maximize his skill or catch up to opponents to perform better-timed tackles that aren’t fouls.

Another Starting XI option that Klinsmann might use would be: Rimando; Parkhurst, Orozco, Goodson, Beasley; Beckerman, Holden; Corona, Diskerud, Donovan; Gomez.

 

USMNT: 23 For the 2014 World Cup

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Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
Michael Bradley (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

23-MAN USMNT ROSTER PROPOSAL FOR THE 2014 WORLD CUP

 

GOALKEEPERS (3):

 

*Tim HOWARD

Brad GUZAN

Luis ROBLES / Dan KENNEDY / Clint IRWIN

 

CENTER BACKS (4):

 

*Geoff CAMERON (CENTER BACK / OUTSIDE BACK / DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER)

Shane O’NEILL (CENTER BACK / OUTSIDE BACK / DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER)

*Andrew FARRELL (CENTER BACK / OUTSIDE BACK)

Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

 

OUTSIDE BACKS (4):

 

*DeAndre YEDLIN (RIGHT BACK / LEFT BACK)

Kofi SARKODIE

*Chris KLUTE (LEFT BACK / RIGHT BACK)

Fabian JOHNSON (RIGHT BACK / LEFT BACK)

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS (2):

 

*Michael BRADLEY

Perry KITCHEN

 

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDERS (3):

 

*Stuart HOLDEN

Mix DISKERUD

*Benji JOYA

 

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS (4):

 

*Clint DEMPSEY

Benny FEILHABER

Joe CORONA

*Freddy ADU

 

STRIKERS (3):

 

*Juan AGUDELO

Jozy ALTIDORE

Terrence BOYD

 

* STARTERS

 

USMNT STARTING XI (4-1-2-1-2) : HOWARD; YEDLIN, FARRELL, CAMERON, KLUTE; BRADLEY; JOYA, HOLDEN; ADU; AGUDELO, DEMPSEY.

 

Best USMNT XI Against Belize

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Joe Corona. (Photo: Club Tijuana)
Joe Corona. (Photo: Club Tijuana)

 

Who should Jürgen Klinsmann start against Belize?

The USMNT XI against Belize should be similar to the USMNT XI against Guatemala with four changes.

Klinsmann will likely start Nick Rimando at goalkeeper again. Rimando came out of his box a few times to clear balls that Clarence Goodson and Oguchi Onyewu looked in danger of not getting to in time, and there were some miscommunications between Rimando and his center backs.

Rimando likely learned to just clear those out himself next time.

There’s nothing wrong with a goalkeeper coming out of his box, if it looks like his center backs are going to be outrun.

The key is for the goalkeeper to just clear the ball in such a way as to not be vulnerable to being beaten with a blast over his head from distance or a chip floated over his head and into the goal.

Michael Parkhurst looked up to the task at right back despite being a center back for almost his entire career until recently. Parkhurst is known for being calm on the ball, and based on Klinsmann’s roster selections, Parkhurst is still the best choice at right back.

Parkhurst has learned how to play the position. He’s not as fast as other right backs in the pool who were left off the roster, but he isn’t a slow player. There’s no one on the roster that can do a better job at right back than Parkhurst.

Klinsmann would be wise to start Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco Fiscal as the center backs, as Onyewu looked vulnerable to being beaten with quickness, overall speed, or trickery. Goodson looked far superior to Onyewu in this regard, and Goodson isn’t even a fast or quick player.

Orozco is a player that is subjected to a fair amount of criticism within the American soccer fan base and the American soccer media, but compared to Onyewu, Orozco is a player who is more agile and more technically-sound.

People have their reasons for not liking Orozco, but he certainly doesn’t play like a player with inadequate fundamentals or poor quickness. Starting Orozco over Onyewu seems like a necessity.

Oddly enough, DaMarcus Beasley seems to do well at left back. At the beginning of his career and still now, Beasley was a very thin player who looked easy to muscle off the ball, but Beasley seems to have learned how to play left back reasonably well where he has shown a new ability to shield the ball.

He has the ability to dribble and pass out of trouble, and he isn’t a left-footed player who can’t or won’t use his right foot. Despite Edgar Castillo’s strong showings in La Liga MX and the Copa Libertadores, Beasley looks better at left back, even though it was a position he was force into.

Modern outside backs are expected to attack and defend, and Beasley as a natural winger has learned how to play adequate defense, which even includes the ability to win the ball back when dispossessed due to being somewhat new to the left back position.

Based on Kyle Beckerman’s and José Torres’ performances in the previous game, it was clear that Beckerman’s lack of athleticism caused him to foul players that he couldn’t keep up with, and his lack of speed prevented him from being able to catch players to tackle them or dispossess them.

On one occasion, Beckerman actually tackled an opposing player like he was playing American football and not soccer.

Skill-wise, Beckerman is sound, but the lack of the physical gifts of speed and quickness make him unable to get his body into position to show his skill-level in international games.

Beckerman’s partner was José Torres who provides a level of passing that is far below Stuart Holden’s or Mix Diskerud’s. Klinsmann’s only real option to maximize the skill of his squad is to not use a midfield destroyer or Torres as Klinsmann’s attempt at using an American regista.

Instead, Klinsmann should have Stuart Holden and Mix Diskerud playing in front of the defense not as defensive midfielders but just as central midfielders who are mindful of the need to play more defensive than they normally play.

Playing defense is something both players can do, as both players have a complete set of soccer fundamentals, which includes playing defense and tackling.

In addition to Holden and Diskerud, the final four starters of the USMNT’s Front Six should be Landon Donovan as a right midfielder, Joe Corona as a central attacking midfielder, Brek Shea as a left winger, and Herculez Gomez as the lone striker.

Gomez is clearly the most talented striker on the roster, and his performances for the United States as well as those in La Liga MX display better movement off the ball, better attacking instincts, and better technical ability than the U.S.’ other options at striker: Jack McInerney, Chris Wondolowski, and Will Bruin.

This roster gives the United States a midfield full of players who have the ability to control the ball possession in the midfield.

The key to the midfield will be Holden and Diskerud continuing to remember that they don’t have players like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Geoff Cameron, or Maurice Edu on the roster behind them playing imposing defense.

Holden and Diskerud must provide the defensive coverage needed in the midfield, and they must do it while being two of the main protagonists of the United States’ passing and attacking.

USMNT Starting XI Proposal: Rimando; Parkhurst, Goodson, Orozco, Beasley; Holden, Diskerud; Donovan, Corona, Shea; Gomez.