MLS Players Who Belong on the USMNT

 

 

Gale Agbossoumonde. (Source: Toronto F.C.)
Gale Agbossoumonde. (Source: Toronto F.C.)

 

Despite criticism of the quality of Major League Soccer, there have always been talented American players in MLS who have been able to perform and excel at the international level. Here are several American MLS players who the USMNT can use and why they need to be used by Jürgen Klinsmann:

 

Juan Agudelo

 

The U.S. Men’s National Team is simply not good enough to not need strikers of Juan Agudelo’s technical ability, fearlessness, nose for goal, and creativity—not to mention that all of these playing qualities are found in a quick, tall, fast, and strong athlete.

 

Juan Agudelo is way too skilled and athletic to not play for a team like the United States which not only struggles to score goals or produce a technically-advanced style of play but that also is regarded by national teams and people from around the world as a physically-fit but somewhat technically weak national squad.

 

George John

* From a previous World Soccer Source article found here .

For several years now, it’s been unclear why Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and George John weren’t all incorporated into the USMNT and steadily given more playing time. It took Klinsmann about five or six months to even call Cameron and Gonzalez into a USMNT camp, but Klinsmann essentially totally ignores John besides all of the praise of his play from players, coaches, scouts, and foreign clubs. The Greek national team has even expressed interest in having John play for them. Like Cameron and Gonzalez, John is technically-skilled with the ball while also being a strong defender, and he has a level of athleticism above players like Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra. Matt Besler of Sporting Kansas City has been used by Klinsmann, but John is visibly more talented than Besler who is largely one-footed.

 

Perry Kitchen

 

The U.S. Men’s National Team needs Perry Kitchen. If Michael Bradley were ever injured or suspended (like in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final when Brazil scored three second half goals), then the United States would only have Jermaine Jones as a technically-skilled defensive midfielder to replace Bradley. While Edu is a much better player than many Americans give him credit for, Kitchen is a player who can bring the U.S. another effective defensive midfielder with advanced two-footed skill on the ball, and there is room for Kitchen on a 23 man roster. Kitchen’s ability to play center back along with his comfort on the ball make him a player that is needed in a balanced USMNT roster with skilled replacements at every position.

 

Benny Feilhaber

 

Benny Feilhaber (along with Freddy Adu) is the only American playmaker who has ever demonstrated with the national team that he has the ability to bring the technical ability needed to not only play at Michael Bradley’s, Clint Dempsey’s, and Landon Donovan’s level, but also to bring the vision and passing ability to break down defenses in a way that the other three midfielders listed above can’t. Once a player consistently performs well for the USMNT for six years even against the most elite competition in international soccer (and he’s under 30 years old), there really is not a good excuse for not including a player like Feilhaber on the roster, unless you have better playmakers who are improving the U.S.’ passing and setting up goals. The USMNT does not.

 

Gale Agbossoumonde

 

Agbossoumonde has everything you could want in a center back: defensive instincts, skill on the ball, speed, controlled tackling, strong heading ability, lateral quickness, and calmness. Agbossoumonde is young, but he is way too talented and athletically gifted to ignore. Now playing in MLS at 21 years old, Agbossoumonde has demonstrated in a string of starts that he deserves to be strongly considered for the upcoming friendlies, World Cup qualifying, and the Gold Cup. It’s important to give Agbossoumonde his first USMNT cap, so that he can serve the American defense for years to come.

 

Andrew Farrell

 

Andrew Farrell’s versatility, skill, speed, and strength is needed on a USMNT with a history of poor defensive performances. The sooner players like Farrell are incorporated into the national team, the sooner the players without the skill and athleticism to be effective defenders against elite attackers will be phased out of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

 

 

Amobi Okugo

 

Amobi Okugo now plays as a center back after being converted from a defensive midfielder, but he can certainly play both. Okugo certainly is the type of player the USMNT needs: a fast, technically-skilled, two-footed, quick, tall, and defensively strong center back. Okugo continues to improve as a center back, and his style of play based on skill plus athleticism is a major upgrade from many of the American center backs in the past who simply headed balls out of the back or cleared the ball 50 yards downfield. Okugo can help prevent the United States from being in the situation it was in against Mexico where the United States needed Maurice Edu at center back and defensive midfielder at the same time (instead Klinsmann had to use both Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu as defensive midfielders to protect Matt Besler at center back).

 

Chris Klute

 

Chris Klute has all of the technical and physical tools to perform well at the international level. Klute as an outside back brings a strong combination of attacking and defensive skill. Whether Klute is just included in a USMNT camp to be looked at more closely or put on the roster for the upcoming friendlies or even considered for the Gold Cup or World Cup qualifying, American soccer fans should keep an eye on Chris Klute. There is often talk of putting certain MLS players on the USMNT, but their technical abilty and athleticism doesn’t translate to the international level. Klute just might be a sleeper who has all of the tools and gifts to play international soccer.

 

José Villarreal

 

José Villarreal is exactly what the United States Men’s National Team needs: a creative, quick, aggressive, and technically-skilled striker. Villarreall has garnered a lot of attention for his play in MLS, in Under-20 World Cup qualifying, and his play in the CONCACAF Champions League. If one watches Villarreal closely in games for the LA Galaxy and reviews his highlights, it becomes clear why he’s knocking on the door of the USMNT roster; he’s probably ready to play for the USMNT right now.

 

Honorable Mention:

Zach Loyd

Kofi Sarkodie

DeAndre Yedlin

Dax McCarty

Jeremy Hall

 

EDIT: DeAndre Yedlin belongs on the USMNT now. His combination of attacking skill and bravado combined with his speed and defensive tenacity and timing makes him a modern outside back who the USMNT sorely needs.

 

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© Colin Reese

 

 

 

A USMNT That’s Set Up To Win

 

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

 

Fielding a line-up that is strong defensively and offensively is only Jürgen Klinsmann’s first step in having a United States Men’s National Team that will be truly respected around the world as a team capable of beating top national teams.

For now, the United States, which means Klinsmann, needs to start a group of players with the ability to win in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Setting aside the laundry list of players frozen out of the United States Men’s National Team by Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States is now two starting line-up changes away from proactive soccer: Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber.

Klinsmann likes to use Tim Howard, Timothy Chandler, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, and Jozy Altidore, and all of those players can produce the type of one-to-two touch soccer that breeds victories.

Despite the loss to Honduras, that starting XI fielded by Klinsmann was really close to being a strong and balanced line-up.

Even though the starting line-up used to face Honduras was close to being a balanced and talented starting XI, every Klinsmann line-up has the same fatal flaw of not including the personnel needed to attack and maintain possession.

On the one hand, Klinsmann has sometimes been close to fielding balanced and talented line-ups, but, on the other hand, his failure to include the right mixture of defensive and attacking midfielders has allowed teams like Honduras and numerous others before them to pass the United States Men’s National Team off the park and create scoring chances.

Even though some of the players listed above are open to debate, none of them are liabilities or inexperienced players.

Specifically, Jozy Altidore has received a lot of criticism for his lack of shots on goal and goals scored for the USMNT, but the types of goals he has scored in Holland as well as his goal-scoring rate there indicate that the primary reason for the United States’ lack of scoring is really a lack of final balls and skilled passing.

Klinsmann certainly has made a lot of decisions worthy of criticism and questioning, but like World Soccer Source has discussed before, the starting line-up chosen to face Honduras was almost a totally balanced and essentially full strength line-up.

Feilhaber and Donovan were particularly singled out above as deserving of a starting spot for the United States because they can strengthen the U.S.’ weaknesses with proven skill-sets at the international level.

If Bradley and Jones are played deep as defensive midfielders and pseudo-box-to-box midfielders with Donovan, Feilhaber, and Dempsey in front of them from right to left, then the United States has five midfielders who can maintain possession, regain possession, and ensure that Altidore receives adequate service up top.

Adding Donovan and Feilhaber to the starting line-up used in the loss to Honduras means that Danny Williams and Eddie Johnson would be relegated to the bench.

The essential thing to remember about the line-up proposed is that while it uses 11 skilled, proven, and athletic players, it can be adjusted during the game if the roster also includes people with the skill and athleticism to play if a change is needed for whatever reason.

There’s no reason to think the United States doesn’t have the personnel to start playing better in World Cup qualifying, but Klinsmann’s continued refusal to make any sort of tactical changes to the players used in the midfield and up top is a reason for concern.

Donovan and Feilhaber correct this primary flaw with Klinsmann’s tactics.

Donovan brings technical ability, speed, experience, assists, and goals, and Feilhaber provides the creativity to be the missing passing link between players like Jones and Bradley and attackers like Dempsey, Donovan, and Altidore.

Additionally, Feilhaber’s passing and movement of the ball put the American midfield in a passing rhythm (a favorite Klinsmann term) where he improves the passing and scoring threat of the team.

More technically-skilled players used at the same time produce a more attractive and effective style of play where all of the players can combine with each other and play off each other.

Donovan allows Dempsey and Altidore to have another elite player to combine with in the final third and elsewhere, and Feilhaber brings the vision and passing ability to break down defenses (and the ability to also score himself).

As in the past, Klinsmann needs to keep using the skilled and effective players he does use, but he needs to incorporate Donovan and Feilhaber to form a cohesive United States Men’s National Team that can defend, maintain possession, and create scoring chances.

His current line-ups never do all three of those things in the same game, and they almost never create a reasonable amount of scoring chances.

Tactics and style of play are entirely dependent on the skill level and the athleticism of the players started and used, and the United States Men’s National Team can no longer afford to use players who don’t have the ability to play with a high level of technical skill even when the speed of play and the quality of the opponents increase.

The line-up proposed here is a balanced line-up made up of proven players who all fulfill certain roles to form a cohesive unit.

The United States not only needs substitutes for every one of these players but also players on the roster to allow Klinsmann to alter his formations and tactics depending on the opponent.

Proposed Starting XI That Should Satisfy Klinsmann’s Requirements For Now: Howard; Chandler, Gonzalez, Cameron, Johnson; Bradley, Jones; Donovan, Feilhaber, Dempsey; Altidore

USMNT Positional Depth Charts: Center Back

 

 

Gale Agbossoumonde. (Source: Toronto F.C.)
Gale Agbossoumonde. (Source: Toronto F.C.)

 

It’s a mystery why  Jürgen Klinsmann doesn’t always put Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, and George John on the United States Men’s National Team roster as three of the four center backs. In the list below, World Soccer Source ranks George John fourth in the USMNT center back depth chart (below Gale Agbossoumonde). Both Soccer America and Soccer By Ives have ranked American center backs, but World Soccer Source believes those rankings don’t include many of the center backs with the athleticism and skill to help the United States improve as a national team on the international level.

Read more

A Proven and Proactive USMNT XI For Qualifying

 

Clint Dempsey saved the USMNT again by putting himself in the position to score this goal. (Photo: Daniel Petty / The Denver Post)
Clint Dempsey (8). (Photo: Daniel Petty / The Denver Post)

 

Commentary:

Jürgen Klinsmann’s starting line-ups make no sense.

The United States Men’s National Team can improve immediately if the right combination of Jürgen Klinsmann regulars are started with some newer and not so new proven players.

The recipe is simple: keep Tim Howard, Omar Gonzalez, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, and Clint Dempsey in the starting line-up, and then add Landon Donovan, Benny Feilhaber, Juan Agudelo, and Jonathan Spector .

This gives the United States a solid goalkeeper, four capable and proven defenders, a balanced midfield that can pass, and a more creative and talented young striker in Juan Agudelo.

This line-up is not necessarily the very best option for the United States, but it is a proven and balanced one, which can greatly improve the United States’ play before a more radical overhaul is attempted.

Since Klinsmann likes to use at least two defensive midfielders, then he should start three attacking midfielders in front of them in a four-two-three-one formation.

Here is why the following players should be started:

Goalkeeper: Tim HOWARD (Everton)

The United States Men’s National Team doesn’t have a problem with its goalkeepers, and Howard continues to provide several world-class saves every friendly and World Cup qualifier that prevent the United States from losing. Howard is a proven international and English Premier League goalkeeper, and the United States would have lost a lot of World Cup qualifiers under Jürgen Klinsmann if Howard hadn’t made all the saves that he did.

 

Right Back: Jonathan SPECTOR (Birmingham City)

Many Americans easily forget how well Jonathan Spector has consistently played against even the most elite international opponents like Spain and Brazil. Using Jonathan Spector gives Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team, the confidence that an experienced and proven player is being used who is also much younger than Steve Cherundolo.

 

Center Back: Omar GONZALEZ (LA Galaxy)

Omar Gonzalez has demonstrated that he has the skill and athleticism plus the obvious defensive qualities to play international soccer for the United States, and he is a big upgrade to the skill and athleticism of Carlos Bocanegra and Clarence Goodson.

Geoff Cameron is better and more athletic than Gonzalez, but Gonzalez is a very talented center back who is perhaps a safer choice than tossing some of the younger American center backs into the fire.

 

Center Back: Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)

One of the main problems for the United States over the years has been the weakness in the center of the American defense, and Cameron strengthened this weakness when he was finally used as a center back for the United States.

Cameron brings a new level of skill, athleticism, and coolness under pressure to the center of the American defense, and he needs to be played as a center back so the United States can play up to its full potential.

Starting Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez lowers the chances of the American defense being frequently beaten.

 

Left Back: Fabian JOHNSON (Hoffenheim)

There’s not a good reason to not start Fabian Johnson at left back because he’s simply too good. While some of the back ups at outside back who Klinsmann has put on the roster are suspect, Fabian Johnson is a good starting selection.

Starting Gonzalez, Cameron, and Johnson allows for a defensive set-up that is solid and fairly well-tested, and inserting an experienced player like Jonathan Spector at right back is a safe and good choice.

 

Defensive Midfielder: Michael BRADLEY (Roma)

Contrary to what many Americans think, Bradley is a defensive midfielder. Bradley isn’t strictly a midfield destroyer who always hangs back deep to break up the passing of the opposition, but he is a defensive midfielder.

Bradley fulfills an important role: he breaks up the passing of the opposition, he provides a passing outlet for the defensive back four, he drops back deep to essentially play as a fifth defender, and he actively participates in the passing play of the United States’ midfield.

Playing at his natural position doesn’t hinder Bradley’s involvement in the game, but it allows him to be a main participant in the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.

Michael Bradley’s more defensive midfield role is equally as important as Clint Dempsey’s more attacking role.

 

Defensive Midfielder: Jermaine JONES (Schalke)

No one plays in the Bundesliga and the Champions League for a team like Schalke without world-class technical ability. The German clubs don’t let players play whose technical ability and fundamentals are a liability.

The question with Jones is whether or not the United States needs to start Michael Bradley and Jones at the same time, as there are already four defenders and a goalkeeper. Using two defensive midfielders is certainly common, and it may or may not be overly defensive depending on the other players making up the front six of the starting XI.

 

Right Attacking Midfielder: Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)

While there are a number of talented attacking midfielders in the pool who Jürgen Klinsmann has basically refused to use even if he calls them up, Klinsmann does like Landon Donovan. A great first step for the improvement of the passing and quality of play of the USMNT would be to start Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and a playmaker in a line of three in front of the defensive midfield tandem of Jones and Bradley.

 

Central Attacking Midfielder: Benny FEILHABER (Sporting KC)

At this point, Klinsmann needs to accept the reality that he cannot simply continue to field starting line-ups without the personnel to produce good passing and shots on goal. Benny Feilhaber is a proven playmaker at the international level, and using one playmaker to balance defensive midfielder heavy formations is reasonable and necessary.

By choosing to start Feilhaber with Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley, Klinsmann is using a formation which is not risky or experimental, but rather one with a proven track record of success.

 

Left Attacking Midfielder: Clint DEMPSEY (Tottenham)

It’s important that Clint Dempsey not be tasked with the role of a playmaker because Dempsey’s game is built on attacking the goal and being one of the targets for final balls as opposed to being required to play as a true playmaker, which is exactly what Klinsmann makes him do.

By starting Benny Feilhaber, Dempsey is free to roam around making runs and play off a playmaker. When Feilhaber is used as a playmaker, Dempsey has a teammate who can combine with him and play him the types of passes Dempsey is looking for.

 

Striker: Juan AGUDELO (Chivas USA)

Taking nothing away from Jozy Altidore’s goal-scoring rate this season or his improved technical skills, Juan Agudelo is a more graceful and technically-skilled striker than Jozy Altidore with the same size and athleticism.

Altidore is stronger than Agudelo, but Agudelo is a powerful and crafty striker who attacks the goal more than Altidore.

In short, Agudelo offers Altidore’s athleticism with higher marks for creativity, smoothness, aggressive play, and technical ability.

Agudelo has never had any problems playing against elite international competition, and unlike Altidore, Agudelo poses more of a scoring threat in international soccer by involving himself in the game more than Altidore .

Agudelo has more experience with the United States Men’s National Team than Terrence Boyd, so Agudelo is a safer pick if the goal is to improve the United States’ play by using experienced players who are better than some of the players currently used by Klinsmann. Nevertheless, Boyd would also bring more of a goal-scoring threat than Altidore.

 

Outlook:

If Jürgen Klinsmann fields something along the lines of the starting line-up proposed above, then the United States will see a vast improvement in the ability of the team to keep possession of the ball in all areas of the field and an improvement in its ability to attack its opponents.

This is an easy change to make that doesn’t require experimentation or using inexperienced players in vital World Cup qualifiers.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake for Klinsmann to not allow Joe Corona, Terrence Boyd, and Freddy Adu to see more playing time for the USMNT, and many players like Joe Gyau, Perry Kitchen, Mario Rodriguez, José Villarreal, Gale Agbossoumonde, Andrew Farrell, and Chris Klute should be watched closely and tested.

 

USMNT: The Best 40 American Soccer Players (May 2013)

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© Colin Reese

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

 

 USMNT: The Best 40 American Soccer Players (May 2013)

*This list is a counter argument to the ASN Top 100 put out by the website, American Soccer Now, on a monthly basis, except for April. The next ASN Top 100 comes out in May.

*Jürgen Klinsmann doesn’t use many of these players on the USMNT, and that has caused some less than stellar USMNT performances.

 

1. Clint DEMPSEY (Tottenham)

2. Michael BRADLEY (Roma)

3. Landon DONOVAN (LA Galaxy)

4. Freddy ADU (E.C. Bahia)

5. Benny FEILHABER (Sporting Kansas City)

 

6. Joe CORONA (Tijuana)

7. Mix DISKERUD (Rosenborg)

8. Juan AGUDELO (Chivas USA)

9. Terrence BOYD (Rapid Wien)

10. Geoff CAMERON (Stoke City)

Read more

What’s wrong with American soccer and the USMNT?

 

 

Kevin-Prince Boateng celebrates after scoring on the United States in the 2010 World Cup. (Photo: AP Photo)
Kevin-Prince Boateng celebrates after scoring on the United States in the 2010 World Cup. (Photo: AP Photo)

There is a disconnect between what the people making the roster, formation, and line-up decisions for the United States Men’s National Team say they want and what they actually do.

Even if they don’t have 11 players to start together who have the technical ability of Brazil, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Argentina, Uruguay, etc, Klinsmann and his staff can still select the most technically-skilled players at their disposal.

Klinsmann and company cannot just keep claiming that it’s a process; the process would be taking the very best technically-skilled players and improving how each of them play and how they play together.

This writer has written about these topics extensively, but Paul Gardner of Soccer America called Klinsmann out in a major publication and Andrés Cantor called Klinsmann out in an episode of The Best Soccer Show from over a year ago.

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/50972/klinsmann-the-salesman-prolongs-problem.html

http://nasn.tv/2012/andres-cantor-on-the-best-soccer-show/

Many American pundits, ex-USMNT players, and soccer writers continue to question even the attempt to play one-to-two touch soccer or use more skilled players, as opposed to criticizing Klinsmann for not even trying to do what he said he wanted to do.

They actually have a problem with even using newer and more talented players in friendlies to improve the quality of the United States Men’s National Team play because they write off the newer and better players as inexperienced and raw.

Even using Benny Feilhaber as a playmaker in a World Cup qualifier wouldn’t be the risky use of an unproven player because he’s proven at essentially the highest levels of international soccer.

Joe Corona, Terrence Boyd, Juan Agudelo, Benji Joya, and Gale Agbossoumonde all receive these “raw and inexperienced” tags from the media and many fans, never mind the fact that all of these players, except Agbossoumonde, have proven that they can perform on the international level.

Let some American pundits tell you about how set pieces are so important and how the United States Men’s National Team needs to play like Americans, but there is only one correct way to play soccer; everyone around the world knows it.

Even non-soccer fans in the United States see the Brazils, Spains, and Italys of the world working the ball around the field by stringing passes together, as they try to get into scoring positions.

Getting to the root of the problem, the primary problem with American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team is that Americans, the United States Soccer Federation, and Jürgen Klinsmann don’t place a high enough premium on technical ability, even though they claim that they do.

Any style of soccer not based on refined technical ability, movement off the ball, and the mastery of fundamentals like using both feet or playing recovery defense isn’t real soccer that will lead to wins against elite national teams.

Klinsmann can claim that he wants to implement a philosophy of a style of one-to-two touch soccer that’s proactive, but this claim cannot be taken seriously as long as a player like Kyle Beckerman is selected to be on a critical World Cup qualifying roster over Perry Kitchen.

Kitchen is faster and more technically skilled. If Klinsmann wants to play proactively then someone like Beckerman cannot be selected over Kitchen who has the skill on the ball plus the physical gifts to compete against better and faster opponents, which Beckerman cannot do.

Even Clint Dempsey is frequently unfairly made one of the scapegoats of the media and the fans for the United States Men’s National Team’s lack of offensive production and quality passing. No one comments that Dempsey has only one striker to combine with and no other attacking midfielders to help him keep possession and attack.

A great example of the continued complaints about Clint Dempsey was the wave of complaints about Dempsey being made captain of the United States.

Recently, Clint Dempsey was made captain of the United States Men’s National Team, and the American soccer media, rather than praising Dempsey, was quick to complain that Dempsey was made captain instead of Michael Bradley.

The American soccer media complained like a Greek chorus that Dempsey didn’t care about the United States Men’s National Team as much as himself and that he wasn’t a vocal leader, despite the fact that Dempsey gives 100% in every game, tries to take the game the to the U.S.’ opponents, and has no problem mixing it up and getting in the faces of opponents who other American players are intimidated by.

Despite the unfounded character attacks on Clint Dempsey, the American media actually complained that the player with the most skill and the greatest proven ability to perform against high level competition was chosen as the leader.

On the other hand, a more serious publication, The Wall Street Journal, ran an article about Clint Dempsey after the 2009 Confederations Cup Final praising Dempsey’s play and effort and proclaiming Dempsey the new leader of the USMNT.

If the American soccer media and fan base is going to call Clint Dempsey lazy and selfish while also questioning his ability to lead the team, then what will they say about other American players, and how much does the American soccer media really know?

If Americans say this stuff about Dempsey, how will they ever be convinced to pressure Jürgen Klinsmann into playing more than one player like Dempsey at the same time in order to create possession and attacking soccer?

Clint Dempsey should be applauded because he plays soccer the right way, and he learned how to play outside of U.S. Soccer’s official development system.

This was the key to Dempsey’s success: not learning to play soccer like an American but rather learning by studying Diego Maradona and playing with Latinos in Texas.

His game is based on technical ability, creativity, two-footed skill, movement off the ball, bravado, toughness, physical endurance, and mental strength.

There is only one correct way to play soccer, if you want to compete with the best in the world, and that way is skill soccer, as opposed to long ball and all crosses: the English way.

There are a lot of great American soccer minds in the United States, and there are lots of people from other countries with so much valuable expertise and wisdom to offer Americans; none of them advocates a style of play not based on one-to-two touch soccer.

One-to-two touch soccer leads to victories. Brazil, five World Cup trophies. Italy, four World Cup trophies. Germany, three World Cup trophies.

Other countries take the most talented players they can find, determine if they have the requisite athleticism to play soccer, and they hone the skills of these players.

Elite teams use the whole field, but they don’t restrict their attack to just running up and down the sidelines with the intention of always looking to play a cross.

Americans need to permanently get rid of this notion that more width and more crosses is the key to more scoring opportunities.

Brazil would never play that way. That style of soccer would never fly in Brazil, Spain, or anywhere else with a good soccer system.

Better soccer nations work the ball around and look for openings in the defense and probe for weaknesses, and if one gateway into the penalty box is closed then they work the ball around until there is an opening somewhere else or in the original place they looked.

From better national teams, you will see crosses played in the air to players who have made runs or who are making runs, but you won’t really see balls just crossed into the box blindly.

You might see balls played across the goal mouth in the attempt to sneak a pass through to a teammate in front of the goal, but you really will not see crosses crushed into the penalty box without a specific target.

Again, the root of the problem of American soccer and the United States Men’s National Team is the low premium placed on technical ability.

Before players are weeded out at a higher level because of a lack of athleticism or a lack of confidence in their abilities, players are supposed to be weeded out if they lack the technical ability to perform in say Major League Soccer or for the United States Men’s National Team.

The United States has plenty of talented and athletic players at every position with the ability to play a brand of soccer more along the lines of the world’s best national teams, but the first steps were already taken by Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley.

Bob Bradley reluctantly played Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey at the same time, which allowed the United States to have the requisite ability to perform against Spain and Brazil in the 2009 Confederations Cup and advance out of the group stage in the 2010 World Cup.

Jürgen Klinsmann must take the next step of fielding starting line-ups where all eleven players are technically-advanced and athletic and where the line-ups balance defensive strength with effective and inventive attacking players.

There will always be complaints about which players are used by a coach, but Klinsmann needs to at least use a reasonable balance of defensive and attacking players who all have advanced technical ability and sufficient athleticism.

It takes courage to lose because you tried to win.

 

Americans have low standards for Jürgen Klinsmann and the USMNT

 

The USMNT needs to start more technically-skilled players at the same time.
The USMNT needs to start more technically-skilled players at the same time. © MexSport

It’s hard to be in the public spotlight, and what Jürgen Klinsmann and the players on the United States Men’s National Team do is very emotionally intense.

In other countries the pressure the press puts on those involved in professional soccer on the national and international level is much more intense than in the United States, but there’s still a lot of pressure in the United States as well.

With that being said, Americans do seem to have very low standards for Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team in regards to the quality of play.

There will always be mistakes made by professional athletes, and crucifying professional soccer players for mistakes is inappropriate and classless.

Americans’ standards for Jürgen Klinsmann and the United States Men’s National Team are too low because members of the American soccer media and the American fan base fail to intelligently question why attempts aren’t made to correct tactical and player selection mistakes made by Klinsmann.

Read more

23 players for the USMNT Gold Cup roster

Reasoning Behing the Roster Proposal:

Who knows which players Jürgen Klinsmann will put on the Gold Cup roster for the United States Men’s National Team?

Maybe, the roster will include some of the best players the United States has, or maybe none of the European-based players will be there.

Maybe MLS players who are vital to their teams’ success will be passed over for players from the national team youth ranks.

Will Freddy Adu be dragged up from Brazil or won’t he? Does Klinsmann even want Adu on the team for the Gold Cup?

Who knows?

Will Benny Feilhaber and Joe Corona play a bigger role in World Cup qualifying and thus be passed over for Gold Cup duty?

Who knows?

There is a gap between what Klinsmann says he will do and what he actually does. Trying to really predict what he will do is next to impossible.

Below is one person’s opinion of a 23-man roster of mostly non-European-based players with the skill and physical gifts to play high-quality, attractive, and effective soccer that leads to victories:

Goalkeepers:

Sean JOHNSON

Bill HAMID

Cody CROPPER

 

Center Backs: 

Gale AGBOSSOUMONDE

Andrew FARRELL

Caleb STANKO

George JOHN

 

Outside Backs:

Jonathan SPECTOR

Eric LICHAJ

Chris KLUTE

Kofi SARKODIE

*POSSIBLE OPTION: DeAndre Yedlin

 

Defensive and Box-to-Box Midfielders:

Perry KITCHEN

Amobi OKUGO

Dax MCCARTY

Benji JOYA

 

Attacking Midfielders 

Benny FEILHABER

Joe CORONA

Freddy ADU

Joe GYAU

 

Strikers: 

Juan AGUDELO

Terrence BOYD

Mario RODRIGUEZ

Tony TAYLOR