USA Starting XI Options for the 2014 World Cup

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Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)
Joe Benny Corona. (Photo: MexSport)

 

 

The typical United States Men’s National Team Starting XI as picked by Jürgen Klinsmann will be a recipe for defeat in the 2014 World Cup, and the United States has progressed too far as a footballing nation and developed too many technically-skilled players to field mediocre starting line-ups, especially in Brazil with Neymar on the rise. The United States needs to take advantage of its new talents and all of its progress over the past 20 years, so that the USMNT can play to win.

 

Whether one proposes using a greater number of the United States’ more-skilled proven players at the same time or whether one favors inserting some of the new American talents, something has to change in Klinsmann’s line-ups, and the United States has plenty of Starting XI options.

 

Below are some ideas ranging from experienced Starting XIs to even a Starting XI if all of the core group of American players are unavailable.

Option 1:

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced Players:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: Jonathan SPECTOR

CENTER BACK: Michael OROZCO

CENTER BACK: John Anthony BROOKS

LEFT BACK: Eric LICHAJ

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Landon DONOVAN

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

Option 2:

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

Option 3: 

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players and Juan Agudelo as the Striker:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 4: 

4-1-3-2 Formation with Jozy Altidore and Juan Agudelo as Strikers:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Geoff CAMERON

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 5:

4-3-2-1 Formation with One Defensive Midfielder and Two Box-To-Box Midfielders:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 6: 

4-2-3-1 Formation with Experienced and New Players and Juan Agudelo as the Striker and Freddy Adu as the playmaker:

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Freddy ADU

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

 

Option 7:

If Tim Howard, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore are all injured or suspended:

 

GOALKEEPER: Brad GUZAN

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

CENTER BACK: Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Shane O’NEILL

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benji JOYA

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Mix DISKERUD

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

STRIKER: Juan AGUDELO

SECOND STRIKER: Freddy ADU

 

 

How Can the USMNT Survive the Group of Near-Death?

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Chris Klute, the Best American Left Back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)
The United States needs Chris Klute starting at left back. (Photo: Garrett Ellwood / Colorado Rapids)

 

Can the United States Men’s National Team survive Group G, the Group of Near-Death?

 

Yes, the United States can survive the Group of Near-Death, but Germany, Portugal, and Ghana are all better than the United States, and the real Group of Death is Group B, which is comprised of Spain, Chile, and The Netherlands—plus Australia.

 

The United States certainly isn’t as good as Germany, Portugal, or Ghana, but the United States can certainly beat all three of those teams with the right roster and the right Starting XI.

 

If Jürgen Klinsmann starts Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as a line of two defensive midfielders with Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, and Clint Dempsey in front of them as a line of three attacking midfielders with Jozy Altidore as the lone striker, then the United States can field a Front Six with players that can keep possession and pass the ball well, provide enough defensive coverage in the midfield, and create enough scoring opportunities.

 

This Front Six contains a midfield destroyer (Cameron), a defensive midfielder of the box-to-box variety (Bradley), a playmaker (Feilhaber), and two free-roaming attacking midfielders who line up on paper out wide (Donovan (right) and Dempsey (left)), and a first striker (Altidore).

 

Klinsmann’s Preferred USMNT Back Four made up of Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley is a different story, as it is an enormous weak spot for the Americans.

 

That Back Four is truly a subpar group of defenders who can’t defend World Cup opposition. It’s fair to openly call them inadequate.

 

Furthermore, if Jürgen Klinsmann starts his normal Front Six, which is arguably Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore, then the United States won’t have two defensive midfielders that cover for each other and play as a unit, and the United States will have no true playmaker to orchestrate the passing of the United States and play final balls.

 

The use of a real playmaker is key to keeping possession and allowing Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey to play their naturals positions, none of which is the playmaker position.

 

The level of American soccer is now at the point where the United States has plenty of technically-skilled players that are defenders, midfielders, or forwards, but the collective-skill one sees out of the United States Men’s National Team or your average Major League Soccer team falls short of elite-level soccer.

 

One of the differences between the United States Men’s National Team and elite national teams and elite club teams is the passing is still too chaotic and out of control because the gifted players’ passing and movement off the ball is essentially ruined by players who play lots of long balls or that can’t receive and release the ball quickly.

 

The key for the United States now is to play its most technically-skilled players together, in order to produce a brand of soccer where the ball is passed around the field quickly and under control.

 

Taking all of this into account, the United States can beat Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, but it’s a tall order.

 

Certainly, Tim Howard, Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore can play against anyone, even if other teams might have better players.

 

Therefore, the main key for American success in the 2014 World Cup will be starting enough technically-skilled players together, so that the United States can maintain possession and not be overrun by Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.

 

If the United States learned anything from the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 World Cup, it should have been that using a Front Six that was either too defensive or not defensive-minded enough was a recipe for disaster.

 

When Michael Bradley played with another defensive midfielder but no playmaker, the passing wasn’t good enough to break down the opposition.

 

Additionally, when Bradley was suspended against Brazil in the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, Feilhaber played well, but there wasn’t a defensive midfielder who was good enough to prevent the Brazilians from storming back to score three goals in the second half.

 

Along with a few other options like Aron Jóhannsson, Juan Agudelo, Mix Diskerud, Joe Corona, and Freddy Adu, the Front Six discussed above is probably the only American Front Six that can compete with the likes of Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.

 

No matter how one wishes to look at the United States Men’s National Team, what Klinsmann is doing is using Jones and Bradley as defensive midfielders with Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore as attackers, which creates a dynamic where there is no link between the defensive midfielders and the attack and where there isn’t enough possession or scoring chances created.

 

That’s really the problem with the American Front Six: sub-par passing and not enough scoring chances created.

 

Using Cameron and Feilhaber with Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore eliminates these two problems because Cameron allows Bradley to play better in addition to contributing quality defending and passing himself, and playing Feilhaber frees Donovan and Dempsey up to constantly roam around, combine with other players, and make runs into scoring positions.

 

Using Feilhaber also gives Altidore a playmaker who can play him a wide assortment of quality passes and final balls mostly to his feet and in stride, as opposed to using players who just send crosses into crowds in the penalty box.

 

Defense is going to be a problem for the United States in the 2014 World Cup.

 

Evans and Beasley aren’t skilled enough defenders to defend Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Müller, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and other players in Group G, and Gonzalez and Besler are lacking some important qualities needed from World Cup center backs.

 

The United States has used young players in World Cups before, and Klinsmann’s current Back Four (even with the Front Six proposed in this article) won’t stand a chance in Group G.

 

The USMNT needs to incorporate some combination of Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, John Anthony Brooks, Michael Orozco, Shane O’Neill, Gale Agbossoumonde, Andrew Farrell, Chris Klute, and DeAndre Yedlin into the defensive Back Four or be prepared to lose to the teams in Group G, which many have dubbed the Group of Death.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann’s fate and the United States’ fate are inextricably bound up with how well the new and young defenders are able to perform because Evans, Gonzalez, Besler, and Beasley as a Back Four will mean certain defeat.

 

The United States can play well in the World Cup and get out of Group G, but the Back Four needs to change and a more balanced Front Six like the one proposed in this article needs to be used.

 

From an American perspective, it’s time to applaud the emergence of better defenders, and it’s time to use the new defenders who have the tools and skills needed to compete in Group G because Evans, Gonzalez, Besler, and Beasley don’t have the tools to perform at the next level.

 

World Soccer Source recommends this USMNT Starting XI in a 4-2-3-1 formation to survive Group G:

 

Tim HOWARD; DeAndre YEDLIN, Andrew FARRELL, Shane O’NEILL, Chris KLUTE; Geoff CAMERON, Michael BRADLEY; Landon DONOVAN, Benny FEILHABER, Clint DEMPSEY; Jozy ALTIDORE.

 

Furthermore, World Soccer Source recommends filling the rest of the roster with the following players:

 

GOALKEEPERS: Brad GUZAN, Clint IRWIN

 

DEFENDERS: John Anthony BROOKS, Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE, Kofi SARKODIE

 

MIDFIELDERS: Amobi OKUGO, Joe CORONA, Mix DISKERUD, Freddy ADU, Benji JOYA

 

FORWARDS: Aron JÓHANNSSON, Juan AGUDELO

 

*ELIMINATED FROM THE ROSTER: Kyle BECKERMAN, Brad EVANS,  DaMarcus BEASLEY, Clarence GOODSON, Brad DAVIS, Brek SHEA, Matt BESLER, Omar GONZALEZ, Graham ZUSI, Alejandro BEDOYA, Eddie JOHNSON, Fabian JOHNSON, Jermaine JONES, Terrence BOYD.

 

 

USMNT: Becoming Giant Killers

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Clint Dempsey will be the best American soccer player for years to come. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Clint Dempsey, Giant Killer . (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

 

The United States Men’s National Team is close to becoming a Giant Killer.

 

Granted, there is a big talent gap between the technical ability of the United States as a collective unit, but someone like Clint Dempsey is a world-class soccer player, even if someone like Robinho is much better.

 

Furthermore, a defensive or box-to-box midfielder like Michael Bradley isn’t anywhere close to Paul Pogba in terms of skill or athleticism, but that certainly doesn’t take anything away from Bradley’s qualities and physical gifts.

 

For the United States to become a Giant Killer, the entire Starting XI needs to be players who are close to or equal to Dempsey’s and Bradley’s level.

 

The key is a team comprised of technically-skilled and athletic players who have different and complimentary skills that allow them to play their own natural positions better than other American players.

 

There has been real progress in American soccer, and even if Jürgen Klinsmann isn’t using the best outside backs at his disposal and even if he doesn’t seem to be entirely convinced that he needs to start a playmaker, the talent and athleticism is there in the core group of United States internationals.

 

To be fair, it was already there when Bob Bradley was coach because Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore were all regulars during his tenure.

 

The good news is that Bradley and Altidore are drastically better than they used to be, and Bradley was somewhat close to being a finished product before Klinsmann took the reins as coach of the United States.

 

Altidore is really the player who has seen an enormous improvement in his technical ability, his smoothness on the ball, his finishing, and the aggression with which he attacks the goal, but the reason for these improvement was his time spent in Dutch football.

 

On the other hand, Dempsey is a player who has just progressively become better over time, but Dempsey’s skill-level and his ability to excel against top competition was already excellent when he first started playing for the United States and before he went to play in the English Premier League.

 

Of all the core group of strong U.S. internationals, Donovan has been around the longest, and players like Bradley and Dempsey provided skills and qualities that he didn’t have or they served as needed support. Dempsey and Donovan play the same position, and they can just be started together on opposite sides of the field and allowed to roam free.

 

Looking really closely at Bradley, Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore, what one sees is a defensive midfielder, two attacking midfielders who aren’t playmakers but who can score, and finally a first striker who combines athleticism with size and technical ability.

 

These four players along with Tim Howard give the United States half of a Starting XI minus the Back Four and a playmaker, and the role of playmaker has a front-runner: Benny Feilhaber, a proven and experienced central attacking midfielder.

 

Giant Killing is the next step for the United States.

 

Jürgen Klinsmann needs to start Bradley as a defensive midfielder behind Donovan, Feilhaber, and Dempsey as a line of three attacking midfielders with Altidore as the first striker.

 

If Klinsmann does that, which he hasn’t done, then he simply needs to find four quality defenders and either a second defensive midfielder or an additional center forward or a second striker, the latter of which can play off Altidore as a sort of secondary playmaker to compliment Feilhaber.

 

Once Klinsmann fields something like the Starting XI proposed in the paragraph above, then the United States Men’s National Team is inching closer to becoming a Giant Killer.

 

There are probably very few people in the American soccer media or in the American fan base who would strongly doubt the logic of starting Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore together, especially if Geoff Cameron was inserted into the Front Six to be the midfield destroyer in place of Jermaine Jones so that Bradley had more license to go forward and attack.

 

Although Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, and the like would be better in terms of collective team skill, starting Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore together is certainly a competitive and legit Front Six that national teams would take seriously.

 

The Front Six proposed is strong because it has a more stay-at-home defensive midfielder or midfield destroyer, a defensive midfielder with more licence to attack, a playmaker flanked by free-roaming attacking midfielders who can score, and a first striker that has the skill and speed to stretch the opposition’s defense. The Front Six is also all players who can keep possession by playing one-to-two touch soccer with purpose.

 

Despite the skill of the Front Six, the weak area is thus the American defense because no matter how well that American Front Six does, what happens when really first-rate midfielders and attackers terrorize the American Back Four?

 

This is the true impediment to American success because Tim Howard or Brad Guzan can only make so many game-saving saves before top national teams or second-tier national teams eventually find the back of the net. Howard and Guzan cannot be expected to stop every shot off the feet or head of elite players.

 

Klinsmann has Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and DaMarcus Beasley as his preferred Back Four, but questioning their ability to stop the type of competition in the World Cup is a fair question, and it is a question that needs to be taken seriously.

 

Many people have placed too much trust in the ability of those four defenders (two of which aren’t defenders) to stop elite attackers or even merely international-caliber attackers, and this mentality could doom the United States in the World Cup.

 

American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team has improved, although not really because of Klinsmann, but the American defense is a problem and a matter of concern.

 

There are two solutions to the problems with the USMNT’s Back Four: 1.) Start a more proven Back Four such as Jonathan Spector, Michael Orozco, John Anthony Brooks, and Eric Lichaj; or 2) Start a Back Four made up of DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Shane O’Neill, and Chris Klute.

 

Of course, the obvious third solution is some combination of the more-proven defenders with the newer MLS defenders.

 

Plenty of people will contend that the young MLS defenders are unproven and inexperienced, but at least they are defenders that are both skilled and athletic. Their youth or their lack of international inexperience doesn’t change the fact that they have the skill and the athleticism to compete at the international level, and their youth and inexperienced shouldn’t be used against them.

 

How long until the U.S lets the better defenders play?

 

The real question is not which players Klinsmann prefers, but rather who are the best American players at each position?

 

Given the amount of teams in the 2014 World Cup that are frankly much better than the current preferred Klinsmann starting line-up, the United States would be wise to start the Front Six advocated in this article and use a new Back Four that has the ability to compete with the types of players who will be in this World Cup.

 

The United States won’t be a Giant Killer in this World Cup if Klinsmann’s makeshift defenses are used or if no playmaker is used.

 

These two things need to change because starting Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey, and Altidore as the Front Six at the very least makes for a competitive group of players with the skill and the athleticism to do well in the 2014 World Cup.

 

No one will know how good the United States Men’s National Team really is until Klinsmann fields the best American players at the same time in a balanced formation that tactically makes sense.

 

Brad Evans, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, DaMarcus Beasley, Graham Zusi, and Brad Davis are solid MLS players, but they are not Giant Killers.

 

They really aren’t as good as other American options such as DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Shane O’Neill, Chris Klute, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud.

 

Many of Jürgen Klinsmann’s first-choice starters hold players like Cameron, Bradley, Dempsey, Feilhaber, Donovan, and Altidore back, and this needs to change.

 

Camisa Dez: Benny Feilhaber

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Benny Feilhaber. (Photo: Reuters)
Benny Feilhaber. (Photo: Reuters)

 

The American soccer media revived their interest in Benny Feilhaber after his impressive outing against the Houston Dynamo in the second leg of the MLS Cup Semifinal, which caused many observers to realize that that game was part of a series of influential playoff games.

 

Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu seem to attract the same American critics with the difference being that Feilhaber has been used more by the United States Men’s National Team and thus has more quality international performances to cite as evidence of his playmaking skill and efficacy against something close to the highest level of competition.

 

While many people value Feilhaber for his playmaking skills and his technical ability, which the USMNT needs, other people are very critical of his playing resume and his playing style.

 

By beating the Houston Dynamo recently, Feilhaber outlasted both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Of course, Feilhaber is a different type of player than Dempsey and Donovan, but Feilhaber’s play has highlighted the importance of playmakers.

 

One thing that Feilhaber showed was that no matter what critics said or wrote about him that he was willing and able to rise to the occasion in another important game when he was needed.

 

Feilhaber’s performances disprove the belief that skilled American players who Klinsmann hasn’t really used have no place on the national team.

 

The United States Men’s National Team will need to fit the various types of players together to form a balanced and skilled national team, and Feilhaber offered a glimpse of how the United States could improve by playing Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore together as the Front Six.

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Seleção: Futebol Arte Mixed With Elite Defending and Athleticism

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Neymar, the New King of Brazilian and World Football. (Photo: Jorge William / O Globo)
Neymar, the New King of Brazilian and World Football. (Photo: Jorge William / O Globo)

 

Under Dunga and Mano Menezes, the Seleção were never playing Brazilian football the way Brazilians and lovers of Brazilian football wanted them to play, and Brazil’s coaches stopped using the greatest advantage Brazil had over any national team or club team: superior skill and creativity.

 

Under Felipão who was obviously not new to coaching Brazil, other national teams, or high-profile club teams, Brazil combined three things: 1.) elite defenders with the technical skill of elite midfielders; 2.) intimidating and highly-skilled defensive midfielders who weren’t just providing defensive coverage; and, 3.) attacking midfielders and forwards who returned Brazil to the glory days of the likes of Pelé, Sócrates, Zico, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká.

 

Brazil now has the best defenders in the world, and Brazilian defenders and defensive midfielders are by and large tall and strong athletes who are also technical masters.

 

What Felipão and Brazil did was use bigger, faster, and more athletic defensive players who were also highly-technical and creative players who played soccer the Brazilain way, which has proven to be the best and most successful form of football in all of world football.

 

While not all of the Starting XI is set in stone, Felipão has formed a cohesive group of players while still allowing some minor adjustments and changes in players depending on circumstances and the form of the players.

 

Brazil’s line-ups and tactics make sense, and the players who are often the substitutes are honestly better than most players starting for other national teams.

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Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey Are Not Playmakers

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Landon Donovan (10) and Clint Dempsey (8). (Photo: MexSport)
Landon Donovan (10) and Clint Dempsey (8). (Photo: MexSport)

 

Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey Are Not Playmakers

 

Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are excellent attacking midfielders or second strikers, but they aren’t playmakers.

 

The best way to get the most out of both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey is to start them as the right and left attacking midfielders with a true playmaker in between them.

 

Joe Corona won over a lot of American fans and members of the American soccer media with his play in the 2013 Gold Cup, but Corona had already proven himself way before the Gold Cup, particularly with his play against Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores.

 

With the coaching change at Corona’s club, Tijuana, Corona has found himself in the doghouse struggling to get club minutes, but for the purposes of the United States Men’s National Team, this shouldn’t matter given his skill-set as a playmaker who can also play on the right or left side of the field.

 

Mix Diskerud has also begun to win more plaudits due to his playmaking abilities and his clear ability to perform well against strong competition. Recently, Diskerud has reminded people of how Donovan and Dempsey aren’t playmakers and that they somewhat lack the true traits of a playmaker or central attacking midfielder.

 

Then, there is Benny Feilhaber. It’s unfortunate that after a season of quality passing and good form (not to mention his international record with the United States) that Feilhaber has only been praised or even discussed by the media or the majority of the American fan base after several excellent playoff games for Sporting Kansas City.

 

Furthermore, many of the people who praised Feilhaber after writing him off for so long seem to have been more interested in the amount of running he put into the second leg of the MLS Cup Semifinal against the Houston Dynamo than his technical ability, passing skills, and vision.

 

In short, Feilhaber garnered praise recently mostly by running a lot, and for Klinsmann’s entire tenure as coach, there has never been much support for using Feilhaber as a central attacking midfielder between Donovan and Dempsey.

 

The United States Men’s National Team has seen the most success when Michael Bradley was used as a defensive midfielder and when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey flanked Benny Feilhaber who was used in the center to orchestrate the passing of the United States and create more scoring opportunities.

 

Given Freddy Adu’s almost total lack of playing time with Bahia, Adu has been scoffed at by Americans and non-Americans alike, but there’s never been much to suggest that the United States has the collective technical ability as a team to mock or freeze out skilled playmakers who haven’t lived up to people’s expectations or even seen a reasonable amount of club minutes.

 

When the 2014 World Cup comes around, the only thing that will matter is if the players that are started or used by Jürgen Klinsmann are physically fit to play and if they have the skill level to compete at the international level.

 

Feilhaber, Diskerud, Corona, and Adu are all skilled players with various club situations and form, and each player is different. The USMNT’s World Cup roster will probably need two or three of those players on the roster as they can all play left, right, or center, and they all bring playmaking qualities that Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan don’t bring.

 

With strikers like Jozy Altidore, Aron Jóhannsson, and Juan Agudelo in the American player pool, using a playmaker behind Altidore and in between Donovan and Dempsey with Michael Bradley and Geoff Cameron or Jermaine Jones in front of the Back Four is a strong tactical set-up to give the USMNT a balanced and talented Front Six that can compete in a World Cup.

 

Whether one prefers Feilhaber, Diskerud, Corona, or Adu playing as a central attacking midfielder, the United States really does need one of them to connect the defensive midfielders to Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore. The playmaker will strengthen the passing and the attack of the United States, and it’s time for more people to accept that the use of one is vital to World Cup success and American soccer progress.

 

With the 2014 World Cup coming up next summer, at the very least Jürgen Klinsmann and Americans should support starting Geoff Cameron and Michael Bradley as a two-man defensive midfield where Cameron hangs back more than Bradley, and Americans should support playing a true playmaker in between Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey behind Jozy Altidore.

 

This set-up gives the United States defensive coverage and quality passing deep in the American midfield, and it gives the United States three attacking midfielders including a playmaker who can not only pass and attack well but who can ensure that Altidore receives enough service.

 

The key to this set-up is making a point of starting a true playmaker because no one has any major doubts about the efficacy of Cameron, Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore, even if observers have their own Starting XI preferences.

 

Ranking USMNT Players By Position

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Clint Dempsey (right) and Freddy Adu (left). (Photo: MexSport)
Freddy Adu (left) and Clint Dempsey (right) . (Photo: MexSport)

 

Ranking USMNT Players By Position

 

GOALKEEPERS:

 

1. Tim HOWARD

2. Brad GUZAN

3. Clint IRWIN

4. Cody CROPPER

5. Nick RIMANDO

6. Tally HALL

7. Dan KENNEDY

8. Sean JOHNSON

9. Bill HAMID

 

CENTER BACKS:

 

1. Geoff CAMERON

2. John Anthony BROOKS

3. Michael OROZCO

4. Shane O’NEILL

5. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

6. Andrew FARRELL

7. Caleb STANKO

8. Maurice EDU

9. Jermaine JONES

10. Amobi OKUGO

11. Omar GONZALEZ

12. George JOHN

13. Matt BESLER

14. Zach LOYD

 

RIGHT BACKS:

 

1. Steve CHERUNDOLO

2. Chris KLUTE

3. Andrew FARRELL

4. DeAndre YEDLIN

5. Jonathan SPECTOR

6. Eric LICHAJ

7. Zach LOYD

8. Sheanon WILLIAMS

 

LEFT BACKS:

 

1. Chris KLUTE

2. Eric LICHAJ

3. Andrew FARRELL

4. DeAndre YEDLIN

5.  Jonathan SPECTOR

6. Fabian JOHNSON

7. Edgar CASTILLO

8. Zach LOYD

9. DaMarcus BEASLEY

10. Brek SHEA

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS:

 

1. Michael BRADLEY

2. Geoff CAMERON

3. Jermaine JONES

4. Jonathan SPECTOR

5.  Maurice EDU

6. Perry KITCHEN

7. Amobi OKUGO

8. Jared JEFFREY

9. Ricardo CLARK

10. Will TRAPP

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The Best USMNT XI (December 2013)

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Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)
Clint Dempsey (left) and Jozy Altidore (right). (Photo: AP)

 

This United States Men’s National Team XI isn’t a status quo Starting XI meant to tell people what they want to hear. This is a Starting XI option made up of players with the skill-set and athleticism to play the position listed. Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, Landon Donovan, Graham Zusi, Brad Evans, DaMarcus Beasley, and Fabian Johnson aren’t on this list.

The best way forward for the USMNT is to take a Front Six made up of Geoff Cameron, Michael Bradley, Joe Corona, Benny Feilhaber, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore and combine it with a new Back Four made up of DeAndre Yedlin, Andrew Farrell, Shane O’Neill, and Chris Klute.

Sticking to the Status Quo Starting XI won’t work in the 2014 World Cup, and American soccer has been waiting for talents like Corona, Diskerud, Yedlin, Farrell, O’Neill, and Klute to take the United States to the next level in world football.

 

USMNT XI: 4-2-3-1

 

GOALKEEPER: Tim HOWARD

 

Tim Howard is the best American goalkeeper, and he recently showed an improvement in the one weakness in his game: the failure to come off his line enough to clear out or rip down balls played in the air around his six-yard box. Brad Guzan is probably as good as Tim Howard and as deserving of the starting spot, but Howard has a habit of making game-saving stops against tough opponents.

 

RIGHT BACK: DeAndre YEDLIN

 

In his rookie season, DeAndre Yedlin (along with Andrew Farrell) showed an ability at right back that probably hasn’t been seen out of an American right back since Steve Cherundolo. Only a real contest between Jonathan Spector, Eric Lichaj, DeAndre Yedlin, Kofi Sarkodie, and Andrew Farrell will show who the best American right back is. Yedlin’s ability to defend, track down, and tackle attackers now equals his technical ability and his skill as an offensive player.

 

CENTER BACK: Andrew FARRELL

 

By playing right back for the New England Revolution, Andrew Farrell showed that he had the technical ability to play a position that arguably required more skill on the ball than the center back position. Nevertheless, Farrell is really a center back, and his athleticism, defending, size, and technical ability make for a combination of physical gifts and skills at the center back position that allows the United States to defend better attackers. Skeptics will call Farrell young and inexperienced on the international level.

 

CENTER BACK: Shane O’NEILL

 

Shane O’Neill’s performances this season in MLS coupled with Tab Ramos’ opinion of him make O’Neill a legitimate center back option for the United States. Real improvement for the United States will require using better players, and O’Neill is a new talent who is a more complete center back than Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler.

 

LEFT BACK: Chris KLUTE

 

Chris Klute is likely the best American left back, and not just because left back is a weakness that the United States Men’s National Team has failed to improve. Klute is an excellent defender and elegant tackler with world-class speed, and he uses both feet interchangeably. Speed kills, and Klute’s combination of attacking skill and defensive ability combined with his agility, height, and electrifying speed makes him a defender that the United States needs to start. Using the new crop of young defenders doesn’t guarantee an absence of mistakes, but it’s a real attempt to field the players with the tools to compete.

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Geoff CAMERON

 

Even as the midfield destroyer or the more stay at home defensive midfielder, Geoff Cameron gets to maximize his combination of smooth running, endurance, defensive prowess, and technical ability. Cameron is a skilled passer who performs his best when he has a lot of touches on the ball. Someone with Cameron’s size, technical ability, defensive skills, and athleticism directly in front of the defense not only strengthens the defense but it provides the defense protection when Bradley makes attacking forays. Cameron has the speed and skill to be actively involved in the attack, but a player with his qualities is a great asset patrolling the back of the midfield in front of the Back Four.

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Michael BRADLEY

 

Michael Bradley is a defensive midfielder who likes to take advantage of his passing ability and his natural endurance as a runner to make marauding runs forward. Bradley’s speed, defending, and technical ability makes him ideally suited to play as the deepest defensive midfielder, but by playing Cameron as the midfield destroyer, the United States can use two defensive midfielders that are excellent passers and that know how to play as a unit.

 

RIGHT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Joe Benny CORONA

 

Joe Corona brings better playmaking abilities than Donovan brings, and Corona can also score. If the goal is have the United States passing better and creating more scoring opportunities, then Corona excels at this more than Donovan who is gifted at using his speed and technical ability to run at defenders. Donovan and Corona are different, and Corona’s creative passing and movement off the ball give the United States an attacking midfielder who allows the United States to facilitate more possession than Donovan.

 

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Benny FEILHABER

 

Benny Feilhaber is the most proven American playmaker, but many people want him to change his style of play to one that doesn’t correspond to his natural position. With one or two defensive midfielders behind him, Feilhaber should be allowed to play his own brand of creative soccer and imaginative playmaking because it’s what Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore need to score. Pushing American playmakers out of the national team has been Jürgen Klinsmann’s default policy, and several wins courtesy of Clint Dempsey or a few headers doesn’t change the fact that the United States still doesn’t pass the ball well enough as a unit. Pretending that Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey are playmakers isn’t fooling anyone.

 

LEFT ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Clint DEMPSEY

 

Ever since the 2006 World Cup and in the qualification leading up to it, Clint Dempsey has been the best American soccer player ever. Dempsey is the most-gifted American player, and his technical ability, his will to win, and his work rate are a key element of the United States Men’s National Team.

 

STRIKER: Jozy ALTIDORE

 

Aron Jóhannsson is as good or better than Jozy Altidore, but Altidore’s technical ability combined with his speed and physicality are an excellent weapon to stretch opposing defenses and make them defend a striker who combines skill with size and athleticism. Altidore is a monster of a first striker who now attacks with more aggression, and the only thing holding him back in the past was a gap between his physical gifts and his technical ability. Amidst the debate over whether Altidore or Jóhannsson should start or whether they should start together, Juan Agudelo is lurking with a combination of both players’ best qualities, but with more creativity and trickery.

 

The Best American Soccer Players (December 2013)

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Clint Dempsey (Photo: AP)
Clint Dempsey (Photo: AP)

 

In general, the American soccer media seems to rank American players based on how much they are used by Jürgen Klinsmann, as opposed to how skilled or capable the players are.

This writer finds Klinsmann’s player selections and the criteria that many American soccer observers use or value to be highly questionable.

World Soccer Source’s rankings include MLS players, non-MLS players, USMNT regulars, USMNT veterans, uncapped American players, Americans who refused to play for the United States, and players who weren’t born or raised in the United States.

The players below are all well-known names to American soccer fans, and none of these players are unknown players that no one has seen play. American soccer players have improved over time, so many of the best players are quite young with the exception of players like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Tim Howard, and Geoff Cameron who are easily some of the best players every produced by the United States.

New MLS players like Chris Klute, Andrew Farrell, DeAndre Yedlin, Shane O’Neill, José Villarreal, and Gyasi Zardes are players who have seen lots of playing time, which has allowed people to see how good they are.

Therefore, none of these players have been placed on this list for the purpose of being controversial or disagreeing with the collective thinking of the American soccer media. These are professional soccer players that the media has seen play either at the club or international level.

One of the good things about MLS is that it compiles so many videos and statistics about all of its players that no one can really argue that players like Chris Klute, Andrew Farrell, DeAndre Yedlin, and Shane O’Neill haven’t earned a national team call-up. Even soccer fans who only watch MLS know that those players have started and excelled for an entire season at positions at which the USMNT is weak.

Whether you look at international performances, club performances, skill-level, or performances with the U.S.’ youth teams against quality competition, all of the players below are legit talents who earned their way into these rankings.

 

Without excluding Freddy Adu, here is World Soccer Source’s Best American Soccer Player Rankings for December 2013:

 

1. Clint DEMPSEY (Seattle Sounders)

2. Giuseppe ROSSI (Fiorentina)

3. Michael BRADLEY (Roma)

4. Aron JÓHANNSSON (AZ Alkmaar)

5. Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)

 

6. Benny FEILHABER (Sporting KC)

7. Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)

8. Jozy ALTIDORE (Sunderland)

9. Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)

10. Juan AGUDELO (Work Permit for Stoke City denied)

 

11. Freddy ADU (E.C. Bahia)*

12. Joe Benny CORONA (Tijuana)

13. Benji JOYA (Santos Laguna)

14. Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)

15. Terrence BOYD (Rapid Wien)

 

16. Jermaine JONES (Schalke)

17. Tim HOWARD (Everton)

18. Brad GUZAN (Aston Villa)

19. Julian GREEN (Bayern Munich)

20. Mario RODRIGUEZ (Borussia Mönchengladbach U-23)

 

21. Alonso HERNANDEZ (Monterrey)

22. Paul ARRIOLA (Tijuana)

23. Shane O’NEILL (Colorado Rapids)

24. Eddie JOHNSON (Seattle Sounders)

25. José VILLARREAL (LA Galaxy) 

 

26. Junior FLORES (Borussia Dortmund*)

28. Andrew FARRELL (New England Revolution)

28. DeAndre YEDLIN (Seattle Sounders)

28. Chris KLUTE (Colorado Rapids)

30. John Anthony BROOKS (Hertha Berlin)

 

31. Gyasi ZARDES (LA Galaxy)

32. Herculez GOMEZ (Tijuana)

33. Michael OROZCO (Puebla)

34. Dax McCARTY (New York Red Bulls)

35. Brek SHEA (Stoke City)

 

36. Eric LICHAJ (Nottingham Forest)

37. Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE (Toronto FC)

38. Kofi SARKODIE (Houston Dynamo)

39. Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)

40. Kellyn ACOSTA (FC Dallas)

 

USMNT: 23 For Brazil (December 2013)

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

 

A United States Men’s National Team 23-man Roster for the 2014 World Cup (December 2013 Edition)

 

GOALKEEPERS: Tim HOWARD, Brad GUZAN, Clint IRWIN

CENTER BACKS: Geoff CAMERON, John Anthony BROOKS, Shane O’NEILL, Andrew FARRELL, (Amobi OKUGO)

OUTSIDE BACKS: Chris KLUTE, (Andrew FARRELL), DeAndre YEDLIN, Kofi SARKODIE

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS: Michael BRADLEY, Jermaine JONES, Amobi OKUGO, (Geoff CAMERON), (Shane O’NEILL)

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Clint DEMPSEY, Landon DONOVAN, Benny FEILHABER, Mix DISKERUD, Joe CORONA, Freddy ADU, Benji JOYA

STRIKERS: Jozy ALTIDORE, Juan AGUDELO, Aron JÓHANNSSON

*Player’s listed twice are in parentheses

 

Roster Explanation:

-The skill-level and the depth of the national teams in the 2014 World Cup is going to be off the charts, and the USMNT will have to shake up its status quo roster and line-ups.

-This roster is a combination of proven veterans like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore, and Geoff Cameron along with new talents being thrown into the deep end due to their skill level and athleticism.

-Geoff Cameron and Shane O’Neill both excel as center backs and as defensive midfielders, and Cameron is also a skilled outside back, which is a position that O’Neill has also shown that he can play.

-The roster features roughly five outside backs: Lichaj, Cameron, Klute, Yedlin, and Farrell.

-There are five center backs: Cameron, Brooks, O’Neill, Farrell, and Okugo. Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones also have all the qualities to play as center backs if for some reason the United States decided that it needed them as center backs to beat some opponent like Brazil.

-The selection of midfielders contains various types of midfielders who can play in various formations. The roster has the personnel to play three playmakers in a line of three, and the roster also has the players to play two defensive midfielders of either variety: the midfield destroyer variety or the box-to-box variety.

-Three first strikers give this roster three complete out-and-out strikers who can score against elite defenders.

-With plenty of center backs, outside backs, defensive midfielders, attacking midfielders, and forwards, this is a balanced roster with skilled and athletic players who can be deployed in various formations.

-Unlike many Jürgen Klinsmann rosters, this roster actually has enough natural outside backs including both left backs and right backs, as well as players who can play on either side.

 

My Preferred USMNT Starting XI:

HOWARD; YEDLIN, FARRELL, O’NEILL, KLUTE; CAMERON, BRADLEY; DONOVAN, FEILHABER, DEMPSEY; ALTIDORE

Starting XI Rationale:

With Geoff Cameron as a midfield destroyer, Michael Bradley has more freedom to participate in the attacking and passing of the three attacking midfielders, and Cameron can take advantage of his own technical ability, speed, and endurance more so than he can in the defense.

Juan Agudelo, Jozy Altidore, or Aron Jóhannsson up top makes for a Front Six with a balance of skilled defensive midfielders and skilled attacking midfielders who have one of those talented strikers as the focal point of the attack.

Agudelo, Altidore, and Jóhannsson are all excellent strikers who are basically complete in regards to their physical gifts, technical ability, and playing style, but this writer views Agudelo as the the striker with the best combination of technical ability, athleticism, size, and the willingness to attack the goal and take risks. For the time being, Altidore has earned his starting spot, but Jóhannsson and Agudelo deserve heavy minutes.

The Back Four proposed is a hypothetical attempt to improve the American defense with better young players. In addition to Chris Klute (who has been playing as a left back), Farrell and Yedlin are likely the two best American right backs, but Farrell is naturally a center back where he can use his technical ability, speed, and tackling to improve the center of the American defense.

Shane O’Neill is the logical partner for Andrew Farrell if the goal is to improve the overall skill level and effectiveness of the center of the American defense. Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler are many people’s default picks for center back due to Klinsmann’s habit of starting them, but Farrell and O’Neill are more skilled players and better defenders with more athleticism while still being tall and strong.

With the exception of Geoff Cameron, Yedlin, Farrell, O’Neill, and Klute are upgrades to the current USMNT Back Four.