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USMNT notes: Guzan named starter; Klinsmann discusses omissions and more

Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports

Heading into Saturday’s Copa America roster reveal, the U.S. Men’s National Team had a goalkeeper controversy. In the aftermath of Tim Howard’s return, Jurgen Klinsmann had left the team’s starting spot up for grabs between the future Colorado Rapids shot-stopper and incumbent Brad Guzan.

That competition ended on Saturday with Klinsmann’s naming of a USMNT starter.

Klinsmann revealed on Saturday that Guzan has officially been named the team’s starting goalkeeper ahead of the Copa America, while Howard will serve as the USMNT’s backup throughout this summer’s tournament. Joining the experienced duo on the roster is Ethan Horvath, who beat out veteran Nick Rimando and up-and-comer David Bingham to a spot in the U.S. squad.

According to Klinsmann, the situation presented a “unique decision” with the naming of both his starting goalkeeper and those that would join the squad behind him.

“We go into the tournament with Brad Guzan being the No. 1 and that’s been communicated clearly to Tim and Brad,” Klinsmann said. “We believe that Brad deserves it. Brad, throughout the last two years, played very consistent and very solid with us. He had a very tough year with Aston Villa, no doubt about it, but he knows that and for many, many reasons. but it’s also a different environment.

“Tim Howard finished a huge, huge chapter in his career with Everton Football Club and he’s going to always be a legend for Everton and he did wonderful things for that club, but he hasn’t been with us for a year after the World Cup and he also lost his starting spot the last a half of a year with Everton. In the moment, Brad has a little bit of the edge and deserves it, but having Tim on board and being there to push Brad, to help him. Obviously, if something goes wrong, he’s always there and it’s big for us because his presence and confidence and leadership is vital for our group.”

Here are more USMNT news and notes following Saturday’s roster reveal:

KLINSMANN TOUCHES ON MORRIS EXCLUSION, WONDOLOWSKI SELECTION

Since naming his 40-man preliminary roster several weeks ago, Klinsmann has known that 17 players would need to be trimmed from the squad ahead of the Copa America. Difficult decisions had to be made, including the exclusion of several regular contributors.

One of Klinsmann’s most difficult decisions came at the forward position, especially following the loss of Jozy Altidore to injury. In the end, Klinsmann opted for the veteran guile of forward Chris Wondolowski over the promise and pace of Jordan Morris in what proved to be one of the more surprising selections on the roster.

“We believe that players really played their way into that roster. It’s difficult,” Klinsmann said. “There are some situations where, probably, the fans will discuss why there’s no Jordan Morris and Wondo is in there. It’s because Wondo, all the time, is so hungry for goals and Jordan Morris is on his way through the ranks coming up. Other positions, the centerback position and the midfield, the fans will talk a lot the next couple of days.

“We look over the last two years with who progressed coming through that was not in Brazil and we also know who will be the future faces of the Men’s National Team going forward, but as of today, this is the strongest group of players we believe we can have and still give all of the compliments and respect to the players that are left out in that moment.”

Morris’ omission was far from the only difficult decision Klinsmann had to make. Veteran contributors like Omar Gonzalez, Edgar Castillo and Tim Ream were left at home, while there proved to be no room for centerback prospect Matt Miazga. Meanwhile, playmaker Lee Nguyen was omitted in favor of other options like Darlington Nagbe and Graham Zusi.

“Obviously when you get down and decide on a 23-man roster, a lot of people always think about the players that are not part of the 23 man roster, which as coaches, is the most difficult thing for us, Klinsmann said. “It’s never against a player that is not there; it’s always that you choose for the player that is part of the roster. There are a lot of very close tight decisions that you have to make. A lot of 50-50 decisions where you can argue or debate who should be on or who should be off. The moment where you decide on the roster is about definitely what you feel strongest about. We feel strongly that this is a very, very strong roster.

“We feel strongly that these 23 that are going to the Copa America, a very special Copa America, they deserve to be on that roster. It’s not against the players that are not on the roster. It’s always a bigger pool of players. You want them all to do well and all to be part of an inner circle and to be part of a big tournament, but at the end of the day, you have to make a decision and say that these 23 deserve to go there.”

POSITIONAL VERSATILITY A FACTOR IN ROSTER SELECTION

Heading into the Copa America, many had Fabian Johnson pegged as the USMNT’s starting left midfielder, but the Borussia Monchengladbach star’s listing as a defender served as yet another reminder of what Klinsmann seeks from his squad.

Johnson will all but certainly be the USMNT’s starting left back heading into this summer’s tournament, especially given the omissions of Castillo and Ream. Joining Johnson on the fullback depth chart is Timmy Chandler, a player who can play on either the left or right side of the defense.

According to Klinsmann, versatility played a major part in his selections as the USMNT boss looked to bring in players that can shuffle through various roles when required.

“I think one of the facets of international soccer over the last eight or 10 years are that positions are kind of melding,” Klinsmann said. “You cannot clearly define anymore who is purely a defender or only a striker. You saw that with the Spanish national team over the last 10-12 years where everybody can play striker or the midfielder role, or attacking outside backs that suddenly become playmakers almost. Today, a player and his pure position as a midfielder, you might be wrong because at the next moment, he’s up front.

“An example is Gyasi  Zardes. He can play as a winger in midfield or up front as a forward. Clint Dempsey is the same thing. Christian Pulisic can be a striker or he can be a midfielder. I think that’s just simply how it went over the last 10 years in international soccer that you see kind of that there is so much movement on there that players can play different roles, different positions in specific moments based on what is needed for that team. Fabian Johnson can play left back, he can play right back, he can play left midfielder or right midfielder. So this is definitely a change over time now that we have to get used to and it’s just good to now that they can play those different roles based on what is needed.”

KLINSMANN LOOKING FOR USMNT TO MAKE STATEMENT WITH COPA AMERICA RUN

At the 2014 World Cup, the USMNT surprised many by advancing out of what was recognized as the Group of Death. This time, Klinsmann expects the U.S. to take things further while making a statement to the rest of the world.

Despite a difficult group that includes Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay, Klinsmann says he believes wholeheartedly that the U.S. will advance into the knockout rounds. Once there, it’s up to the USMNT to prove they belong on the world’s stage in an unforgiving format against some of the world’s most highly-regarded teams.

Klinsmann conceded that his side likely enters the opener against Colombia as underdogs. However, citing several statement wins over the past two years, Klinsmann believes the U.S. is more than capable of making waves in this summer’s tournament.

“Our goal at this Copa America is to obviously get out of the very difficult group with Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica,” Klinsmann said. “We believe we will do that because we proved that two years ago in Brazil coming out of the group of death with Portugal and Ghana left behind while we went into the next round with Germany out of that difficult group. This is the goal. The goal is coming out of the group, and we said after Brazil that we have to learn how to win knockout games. We have to learn how to get to, in a tournament, to the next level. The next level in the Copa America now, is getting out of your difficult group and then win your quarterfinal.

“Win your quarterfinal against whoever that will be in order to make the final four. This is our goal. We want to be in that tournament very long. We want to play six games in this tournament. We believe that this roster is very, very hungry, very determined and will be very aggressive going into those games and will make it happen.”

Comments

  1. For once, the fussballmeister has been clear about his goal in this tournament. Hats off to him. And I hope the US do get out their group and go on from there. But if that proves not to be the case, let’s not have any mubbling around about development the way we did after the Gold Cup.

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  2. I think JK would be crazy to not bring Wondo. Going to be a lot of pressure on Wood to produce, and if it doesn’t happen we need a experienced option. I’m a little disappointed to see no real leftbacks on the roster (but not surprised) because that means Fabian will be our leftback. Orozco is on there for his ability to cover any position on the back line, though I hope it doesn’t come to that. I think it’s a well put together roster considering the options. Trying to predict how far we can go is difficult, because the US has looked so up and down over the last couple of years. We are definitely underdogs against Colombia, but the other two games are teams we are very even with and could go either way. If we do get out of the group, it will depend on the matchup. Beating Brazil in a knockout game is probably too much to ask. Getting out of the group is a success for me.

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    • Agreed. Wondo is clearly better at scoring goals than any US forward in MLS. Even Altidore an Dempsey do not score as much in the same league (Jack Mac has scored more goals/90 min, but really?). There are many younger players in MLS who might one day surpass Wondo, but which one? You can have high hopes for any of Zardes, Morris, Agudelo, MacInerny, Bruin, etc. (some are not so young), but until one of them clearly, consistently, demonstrates a better ability to score, why would you pick one over the others? Other non-MLS players Pulisic, Green, etc. could be considered, but again really?

      I have no doubt that Wondo will fade from the team eventually, and be replaced by a younger player, but not while he is still scoring well over .5 goals per game something only he, Dempsey, Altidore and Mullins did last season in MLS among US players who played 20 or more games and the others are not. (Zardes did manage that in 2014, but not last year or this season)

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  3. in other news:

    “no on was played out of position”
    “ask the players why they weren’t prepared”
    “it’s a bit of a hard pill to swallow since we badly wanted to make a statement and go deep into this tournament. now the players have to go back to their clubs and really push to always find that next level. so you make the bench and then you have to push the next guy and take the starter shirt and say Im really going to express myself. and when I see Messi, and James, Neymar and Suarez and Aguero, Im going to look them in the eye and really give them a game. we badly wanted to go deep into this tournament, but now the focus is on to Russia to learn how to win a knockout game.”

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      • or maybe SS asked him not to take Dempsey and Morris away from the Sounders for an extended period…

    • Possibly. Don’t forget that Jurgen and Sigi are also old friends. But I think DLOAs explanation is more likely – without Altidore, if Morris made it, Dempsey would have been our only experienced striker. Wondo gives another veteran option.

      Also, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this, but I’m glad for Wondo that he gets a chance to redeem himself for the Belgium miss on a big stage. And imagine how motivated he’s going to be if and when he gets on the field in the Copa.

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  4. I said some time ago that this tournament is not really important in the larger scheme of things and Klinsmann should use it for giving good experience to our promising young players. I also said that he may not do this because he is afraid of the criticism if we do poorly. It looks like this is the case. He is treating this like it is almost as important as the World Cup, a position with which I strongly disagree. Perhaps he feels insecure about his job if there is a poor performance. Whatever the case, I would take Morris over Wondo, and Beckerman and anyone else who will be too old for Russia should be left off this roster. A number of these selections are very disappointing.

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    • That’s what the Gold Cup next Summer is for. There are still plenty of important matches upcoming to get younger players ready for the WC. There are certainly enough holes in rosters to take a shot at making a run at this thing, a semi final berth should be considered a win I would think.

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    • There will be more people watching this tournament and more media coverage of it than there has been at any Gold Cup. Also, the quality of competition will be higher at this tournament. Those are all reasons to take it more seriously than any Gold Cup.

      Add to that the fact that a bunch of American pundits bent over backwards to recast getting out of the group of death in Brazil as a failure, and then openly said they think Klinsmann should be fired. It’s not a surprise that he’s taking this tournament very seriously.

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    • I’m curious as to why some of you feel that we’re going to see different results from what we’ve seen the last year. This roster couldn’t cut it at the GC, a lesser tournament by a land slide, the Concacaf Cup, the Costa Rica friendly shortly after and dare i say the WCQ away to Guatemala?!?! We can make all of the excuses in the world for these roster decisions to include injured players, out of form players and the now popular “playing players in positions to get them out of their comfort zone” but the fact remains the best nations in the World don’t and will not do it. Now, I’m guessing peoples come back will be well we don’t have the depth that other nations do but that is all on JK. When he had the opportunity to further bring along more youth and lesser known players he continued to bring in the old guard. Now that its time to fill out a roster that has backbone, creativity and speed we’re again left with the same ole same ole. I’m tired of complaining about this but i care so sue me and let it be known that i will still cheer on the boys just as chaotically as i always have even when i hate the direction the program is headed in lololol

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  5. OK, copa predictions people? I say 2ND in group stage and lose in a tough close battle in knockout game against probably Brazil

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    • Colombia’s roster is not that intimidating its mostly their U23 team with James, Cuardado, Bacca, and Moreno (not a bad foursome I know). Really wish we played them game 3 instead of game because their bench has no experience and mostly plays domestic.

      Nelson Valdez is probably the best player on Paraguay and he doesn’t exactly strike fear into you.

      Costa Rica is the best they’ve ever been, but we typically beat them at home minus the “why are we playing this game across the country 3 days after an overtime loss to Mexico” game.

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  6. With all these arguments over roster selections SBI should do some predicting roster contest and the winner gets a USMNT jersey or something

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  7. 1. There is a Gold Cup next season for young players like Morris, Miazga, and other younger players to get experience in a tournament environment.

    2. Is there anyone left off the roster that you can look at and say he is a difference maker?

    3. Johnson was also listed as a defender against TnT and St.V&G, and I believe played in midfield in each game so I wouldn’t read too much into where he is listed. Although only Chandler would seem to be LB material otherwise.

    4. If Miazga isn’t going to play which seems agreed upon by almost everyone, he should be in London with a chance to impress his new manager or be working out for the best loan possible.

    5. I’m not sure I agree with Klinsman’s idea that bringing players that can play multiple positions is better than just bringing two players for each position that can do those well.

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    • 1. I’m not a big fan of pushing growth until later when it can happen now. To be fair, I feel that this is far more specific to Morris. I would have liked to see Miazga there just to keep up the fitness and work with future teammates, but I’m less concerned about that since we have a quite a few CB’s that are both ready to play now and will continue to be members of the team for the foreseeable future. I think that Morris should certainly be on the roster considering he has already been an impactful player for the USMNT and has some upside, in addition to being pretty good already. His likely connection with Dempsey could also be useful, so I am not a fan of his exclusion.

      2. While I get where you are coming from with this, I still think there are possibilities of players that were excluded that could very well be making a difference and actually playing, not just on the roster for the training. Morris in the sense of running into space, goal scoring, and hold up play. Lichaj in terms of coverage of full-back/wing-backs (so FJ can play on the wings). Williams since he is somewhat the younger version of Jones/Beckerman and can be a good midfield partner to Bradley, plus he is more mobile than Beckerman and probably Jones (he just gives so much that he may very well beat Usain Bolt in a race if there was a tackle to be made). Lee Nguyen is often discussed as a CAM solution, so if he can be the creator to the goals and/or style of play that we want to see, why not use him?

      3. Not too concerned about this in terms of how the roster is announced either, but I do see him being put at LB unless JK is comfortable with Chandler playing there, like you said.

      4. See #1. I don’t think it’s a big snub, simply that he could still be training for a bit and get a little hands on experience being part with the other defensive squad members that will be around for awhile.

      5. I agree to an extent. It shouldn’t be the main criteria, but it is helpful if required. I am just of the mindset that you put players in their best/favored positions to get the most out of them. Don’t put someone who prefers to be a winger, at full-back, if we have a full-back that can manage it (FJ and Chandler in this case). However, one could argue that the team is overall better with that adjustment, so it’s in the eye of the beholder ultimately.

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      • 1. Has Morris really made much of an impact? He scored one goal against Mexico, but really has done little since then. He hasn’t looked very good in his last few outings with the Nats and wasn’t very good in the U23s against Colombia (not all his fault, very little to do in those games). Seems more of a question of do you prefer experience to youth in a big tournament.

        2. Lichaj I can’t say because I haven’t seen him since his last call up. Williams doesn’t really like to play the Beckerman role of protecting the backline, he likes to get forward which causes the same problem between he and Bradley as Bradley/Jones no one knows whose up and whose back.

        3. Maybe we see one of the LCBs at LB. Birnbaum played some LB I believe and I don’t see why Besler couldn’t.

      • 1. Fair enough. I am not here to tell you he has set the world on fire, simply that I think he has the potential to really help us. Is it this instance? I don’t know, but I find his movement off the ball and overall finishing to be pretty solid and something that can get much better (which speaks to his potential versus lack of current ability).

        2. Yeah, I understand. Like I said, I am a fan of Lichaj’s and feel he has been overlooked for quite some time, but we haven’t seen him for the NT during that time, so hard to say for certain his usefulness, but I think he is better than the little credit we give him. As for Williams, he seemed to be doing quite well with Reading and even if it is more advanced, maybe let him do that and keep Bradley where most of us prefer him, as the destroyer in front of the back line (you may like Bradley forward, so that negates that point if so haha).

        3. Regardin LB’s, I really hope we don’t use a slow CB as our LB. While they may be fine in defensive shape and know how to play the offside traps and what have you, I prefer full-backs that can be used going forward. Otherwise, it is almost a waste from my perspective. I feel like we will allow too much pressure from the opposing RW player since they don’t have to cover the runs of a full-back that doesn’t have the pace to go forward and get back quickly. Allows more pressure and countering to occur without regard to defensive duties from the opposition. Not a fan, but if we are going super defensive, then I suppose it could work.

  8. “t’s because Wondo, all the time, is so hungry for goals and Jordan Morris is on his way through the ranks coming up”
    So I said pretty much this entire quote (prior to reading it) on the other thread an hour ago and got lamented for being a snob or something….

    Again, Dan, that’s irony; the exact thing I said was obvious was then repeated by the coach? Crazy…

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    • Not to jump into this uninvited, but DLOA so you and Klinsmann are like-minded individuals and think the same. Hmm that’s not a good look for you my friend. Hah I kidd I kidd.

      For me the biggest issue about the Morris vs Wondo thing is that the team just got slower. Not good for a team that will not have alot of possession and will be looking to counter. Besides that Wondo measures up well vs Morris.

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  9. So, with the caveat that I wasn’t in camp, and maybe Morris sucked… Bringing wondo in lieu of Morris is a massive head-scratcher. Also, Oroszco? I am fine leaving off ream, lichaj, Gonzo, whatever… but leaving off Miazga is a head scratcher. I mean neither miazga nor Oroszco are going to play if we have any sort of good luck with injuries, so bring the younger guy. Plus, and, I mean, assuming we don’t win, in which case I will be excited whether he brings an injured Altidore, Brad Davis, or anyone else, I want to be excited by our selections, and that means bringing guys like Miazga and Morris… not Chokalowski, I am going to be hugely disappointed if he starts (obviously, if he were to start and score a bunch of goals, I would be happy to eat my words… but since I don’t think that will happen, I will be sad).

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  10. He is bringing injured players, I am tired of Orozco, Beckerman , and Wondoloski. He did score twice on a La Liga team in am Exhibition match.

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  11. Orozco over Omar & Wondo over Morris are the big headscratchers for me.
    Only reason to pick Orozco is that he can play as a fullback (but poorly). I’d rather have Omar and put G.Camerson on as a fullback if needed.
    As for Wondo, I like him in MLS but he just hasn’t cut it on the Int’l stage. The WC game against Belgium, where he couldn’t even put the ball on frame from inside the box, is the one that sealed it for me (yes, he was ruled offside, so it wouldn’t have counted, but get the ball on frame!). Also, Morris is going to be on the list for WC 2018, but Wondo won’t (probably Dempsey as well).

    Other, minor quibbles:
    – T.Chandler over E.Castillo & E.Lichaj (would have preferred F.Johnson in midfield, not as a fullback, but I see Zardes / Pulisic getting a midfield spot because of this).

    I see a lineup of:
    Dempsey – Wood
    Zardes/Pulisic – M.Bradley – J.Jones – A.Bedoya
    F.Johnson – G.Cameron – Besler/Brooks – D.Yedline
    Guzan

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    • Omar Gonzalez is prone to a huge (and costly) error nearly every international match I’ve seen him play. I’m fine with this omission.

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      • While I have noted this before, it is not always true and he was exceptional in the WC game vs. Germany. It’s hardly like he always fails. I think your comment is way too harsh.

      • Disagree wholeheartedly. Goofs attributed to Omar were the same attributed to other centerbacks and he made less of them. In addition. Gonzales was paired with no less than four different centerbacks and communication and coordination is hard to attain when you change partners often.
        Gonzales will be competing in the Liga Mx final this weekend and while Pachuca are slight underdogs, he has had an exemplary season. and probably deserves a break this summer.
        But more likely Klinsmann is getting smarter in that he is looking at players who can play a second position and Orozco, Cameron and Johnson have all played different positions as defenders. I think that Klinsmann has found out that you need to rotate the squad and watch their minutes when 3 games are played in eight days, each game as important as the next.
        Teams with good depth at defense and a coach who know how to rotate them will usually make in further into succeeding rounds.
        The fullback position is the one position the US are short at nd so players like Orozco Johnson and Cameron who usually play ceerback or midfield will be called in for at least one side and to share minutes with Yedlin

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