By AARON CRANFORD
The U.S. Men’s National Team roster features some interesting additions and exclusions as they prepare for European clashes against Denmark and Switzerland in the upcoming weeks.
Klinsmann has added more fresh faces to this squad with Leon goalkeeper William Yarbrough accepting his first call-up, Club America defender Ventura Alvarado making his first appearance in camp as well, and Bolton defender Tim Ream and Reading midfielder Danny Williams making their return to the U.S. roster.
Jurgen Klinsmann left first-choice goalkeeper Brad Guzan, Stoke City defender Geoff Cameron off of the squad, as well as MLS-based regulars Mix Diskerud, Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez. Meanwhile, Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin received call-ups despite not seeing first-team action with their clubs.
U.S. Soccer spokesman Michael Kammarman confirmed that Guzan is skipping the friendlies as he and his wife prepare for the birth of their first child.
Here’s a closer look at the USMNT roster for friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland:
USMNT SQUAD FOR MARCH FRIENDLIES
GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Southampton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
DEFENDERS (8): Ventura Alvarado (Club America), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Julian Green (Hamburg), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Danny Williams (Reading), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Rubio Rubin (Utrecht)
——————-
The U.S. has two European friendlies six days apart, and Klinsmann’s side will meet Denmark first in NRGi Park on March 25th (3 p.m., ESPN2). They will then travel to Zurich to face Switzerland on March 31st (12 p.m., FOX Sports 1).
What do you think of the roster? Shocked to see Klinsmann not call in a full-strength team? Excited to see some new faces?
Share your thoughts below.
I wonder if JK invited Green so that he could show other prospects that he would stick with them if they chose the US?
Yedlin over Lichaj is borderline criminal, but it bodes well for Greg Garza, who I really like so whatever.
conare,
I saw Lichaj at Villa and for BB. My conclusion was, while he was solid as a defender, it was clear he wasn’t Dolo, who I see as the prototype for all this.
The fullback candidates JK seems to favor are guys who could also slide fairly seamlessly into the wingback role:
Yedlin, Shea, Edgar C., Garza, Chandler, Fabian, Rogers, all are guys who can do that.
Have you seen Lichaj play lately? While he was at Forest? Maybe Lichaj has developed the wing back side of his play since going there. I wouldn’t know. Forest are hard to find on TV. That Eric has not been called in tells me that maybe he hasn’t.
What’s this about Yarbrough and Alvarado? Are they on the fence about representing the US?
So, what happened to the GOTZ invite?
It’s a valid question. I personally was not that excited about it anyway, but one has to wonder whether the Zelalem situation has something to do with it.
i thought he would be in the U23 camp… maybe he isn’t sorted out passport-wise..?
Very interesting. Overall idea get the players who need the caps some time. Guzan, Cameron others have their roles defined and need to be with their clubs. Similar situation with most MLS players
One i dont get is Ibarra (preseason) over a guy like Castillo or Spector who I believe have really improved since last saw them.
Should be an interesting group vs two difficult but somewhat equal to us opponents.
That is interesting to consider Ibarra and Castillo as similar type players. I question the inclusion of Ibarra based on the little that I have seen, but when you think of how dynamic Castillo is (even given his weaknesses), I really begin to wonder how much Ibarra has to contribute.
beto,
“One i dont get is Ibarra (preseason) over a guy like Castillo or Spector who I believe have really improved since last saw them.”
I don’t think you can compare Ibarra to Spector, though JK did mention Spector. As for Castillo he seems to be primarily seen as a wing back these days while Ibarra is more of a forward than Edgar. I don’t think they are competing against each other at all. And if they are JK and his staff already know a lot about Edgar while they are still learning about Ibarra.
Ibarra and Castillo are different players but for the national team they should be going for a left winger position; probably the shallowest position on the depth chart.
Both a players I really like, but have obvious gaps in their games. That said, Castillo has been playing consistently for Atlas in the league and South America. Ibarra should be in the pool, but NASL hasn’t even started yet.
Spector; not sure where he fits best. RB, CB, wing, CM.. but overall an solid player when he is healthy.
I know all of these guys are on Jurgen’s radar; just thought now would have been the ideal time to see them.
Im sure Toronto is thrilled to lose their two big $$$$ players for a meaningless friendly. I’m sure JK will discover something from Bradley, Jozy and Dempsey that he doesn’t already know… Not.
The thing about JK is that when he locks in on a player… that player can do nothing and still get called in Green, Yedlin, Shea, Ibarra why? I sometimes think its because he cannot admit that a player he has selected isn’t really good enough
I think that we’ll get spanked…hard
I agree with Klinsmann calling Altidore, Dempsey and Bradley doesn’t help MLS teams and USNT. We know these players are good.
I disagree that players isn’t really that good enough. USSF is doing mediocre job with youth teams and continue support mediocre coaching with our teams.
It’s important to see how other guys play next to our key guys though. It’s much more useful to see how a midfielder plays next to Bradley than it is to see how two other guys play together, because Bradley is starting every available game. Likewise with Dempsey and Altidore – we need to see how guys play off of them.
Mickey,
Evaluating the newer guys like Zardes for example, by calling in 11 new players who have never played together is not the best idea.
If you did that you would limit what you can learn about Gyasi, especially if you are playing good teams away from home. Instead, you might just get a chaotic mess.
Ideally you would evaluate new guys one at a time by putting them in with the starting team.
Unfortunately, there are too many new people to be looked at so this is not really practical. However, at least if Zardes plays with Jozy, Dempsey and Mikey, guys who he would be playing with if this were a Gold Cup or WC qualifying game, then you get a more realistic idea of what you have in him.
I’m pretty sure TFC was aware both were National team players. Lets face it most of both players value is based on the fact they play for the national team.
exactly, in a sense, i’m sure TFC supports them playing in the NT games. it maintains their players’ buzz (imagine if either weren’t getting called up, it’d lower their club selling value, etc) which they use in marketing, etc.
Any ideas if Gedion Zelalem will play for any US team soon?
You can google Zelalem and find all you need to know. Basically, kid grew up here (ages 9-15), but just received US citizenship in December. US soccer has asked for a waiver so that he can play for us immediately rather than wait five years. Germany is trying to block that. Usually these waivers go through pretty easily, but this is Fifa, and Germany, so you never know…
Zela’s not listed on the Germany lineup anymore.
My only issue is with Ibarra and he’s still in the off season.
I have to assume Omar has been getting left out lately because his place in the team is secure. Because he is one of the only players in the pool who has looked extremely impressive pretty much throughout since the World Cup. As CBs go, he and JAB have – for me – been by far the two best in the pool over the past 6 months. I hope he gets the opportunities he’s due over the course of the next year.
Giving up that header to David Horst for the equalizer last night won’t be doing him favors
Omar had a truly great game against Germany, but he tends to be a bit up and down and sometimes loses concentration. JK has done a good job of deepening the pool of US players and bringing in Alvarado and the Europeans who haven’t played much lately for the national team is all about checking out all the different options. Remember what cost Bradley’s job? Not having a good replacement for Cherundolo when he went down in the Gold Cup final. JK is creating a lot of options for the team, including the back line with guys like Alvarado, Orozco, Garza, etc. These are all guys who know their Mexican counterparts. What happened with Bornstein won’t happen again.
Omar Gonzalez has two solid World Cup starts and is never seen again. Strange. Glad to see Ream get another look though.
Cameron optimizes the term jack of all trades, master of none. He hasn’t really stabilized a position at his club and for himself. Being a utility player for them doesn’t serve him any good long term and I think it’s attributed to his shaky USMNT appearances at CB.
He just really needs to grab a starting CB spot at Stoke, which he’s more then capable of doing.
It should be obvious now that JK prizes flexibility and versatility. Cameron may not be a starter, but I think he will always have a place on the USMNT roster for important games because of his versatility. From what I have observed, I have the feeling that Cameron wants to take over the defensive mid role of Jermaine Jones. Considering that Beckerman will be too old for 2018, I think that could be Cameron’s role in the future.
I agree with you, though he’ll have stern competition from Kitchen, Williams, Morales, Trapp & Diskerud.
Klinsmann continues to annoy with these Ibarra and Green selections! I am assuming that he would say that he left-off Gonzalez, and Mix because they are early in their seasons and not “in rhythm” as he puts it. So why Ibarra? He’s in the same situation, plus isnt very good. And don’t get me stated on J Green. It should be clear now that he has a guaranteed golden ticket to be on every Usmnt roster. If I complain about J Green then i have to complain about Yedlin also. Same situation.
The biggest surprise is Cameron. Is this JK saying that Cameron is not good enough right now compared to the others? Stoke playing Cameron as what JK considers out of position is finally starting to hurt Cameron. Its ironic because JK is the king of playing players out of position.
UBCG,
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/03/21/22/18/150322-mnt-jk-qa-den-and-sui-roster
“UBCG”???……. lol
I don’t understand why people are so upset about Ibarra being called. He had a decent-to-good debut with the team last time out, definitely better than many other USMNT debuts I’ve seen. He doesn’t look great to me, but I’ve only seen him in two games. What he does look like is promising, which is exactly what you should hope for at that stage.
Not sure why you leave off Cameron, unless it’s purely to get a better look at the other CBs. He’s been a starter in the Premier League pretty regularly and is solid.
That said, I guess it’s clear we’re not playing any 3 CB lines this week. Only four CBs on the roster at all, with plenty of FBs.
Only other curiosity I see is Zardes listed in midfield. He did well on the wing in a 4-2-3-1 last time out, but everything I see of him in MLS says he’s best up front.
As for Cameron, here’s what Klinsmann said:
“JK: “Similar to the situation with O. Gonzalez and M. Besler coming out of MLS and not being on the roster for these two games is G. Cameron. Geoff is obviously in a good swing with Stoke and the PL, but I had long conversations with him and explained that just now I would love see other players coming in and proving to us how good they are. So here and there, there are these 50-50 decisions where you have to leave a player out that is usually a regular on your team. Geoff is that one right now. We know he can play CB, he can play RB, he can play DM. He’s so versatile he’s always of great help to the team, but I wanted to see other players now coming in and therefore he has to swallow that pill real quick of being left out in these two March games.”
I don’t think Klinsmann knows what to do with Cameron, while he’s not actually playing at center back. Maybe if there’s a longer camp to get him reps in the position he’s an option but not right now. Also I don’t think he’s ever really seen him as a right back in the way he wants the position played.
JK knows exactly what to do with Cameron. Geoff is his utility guy.
I agree, certainly someone you need in a roster
+1 I’m not sure anyone knows exactly what to do with Cameron, but he is the kind of player that is easy to include in the 23 for a major tournament. A strong athlete, good with the ball at his feet, and solid & versatile utility player who can “do a job” in a tactical ploy.
Even if he is not “first choice” at any one position, he is indispensable in the case of injury as he can play pretty much anywhere across the back line, as well as in midfield, either as a holding/shielding player, or as a wide player.
Analogies in the global game include James Milner (England) and Thiago Motta (Italy). Sure he might not have the talent or credentials of these guys, but it’s the same idea.
These call ups are in prep for the gold cup. Leave the young ones for the u20 and 023 untill after the summer. I like the roster becuz it is really good for a three man back line. brooks, ream and alvarado all have experience in that formation then you can have yedlin and johnson as the wingers. i know it has yedlin as a defender but it could change with a 3 5 2 formation. Love the rubio call up, just scored yesterday for club. williams and morales have been impressive in club play. Give green a chance and still not a fan of ibarra. confused why mix isnt on the roster but its ok. wish corona was on here but other than that i think we will have 2 pretty good results.
Hard to see why Ibarra, Green, and Yedlin are all getting called in. None of them deserve it and we have other options at their positions who deserve a look. Brek Shea at LB is gonna go downhill fast. He has the potential to be an average LM for the UMSNT but instead we shove him in the back to rot. Glad to see Ream and Williams both on the team. Hope to see each start a game. Also glad to see Johnson in midfield. Him and Garza should make a strong left side. Chandler deserves a start at RB too.
Cameron not being around is baffling. Of course his play has gone down which would merit exclusion, but *cough *cough Yedlin and Green. This would have been a great chance to play him at CDM with Bradley too.
Dont know what Wooten and Lichaj need to do to get called in. Both clearly deserve looks and this was a great opportunity to get them. Could have sent Yeldin and Rubin down to the U20/U23s but I guess logic isnt the theme today.
“Brek Shea at LB is gonna go downhill fast. He has the potential to be an average LM for the UMSNT but instead we shove him in the back to rot.”
Orlando seems to be playing Shea at left back or left wingback so what ever the case, it looks like he’ll be at that position for a while. And I’ doubt Heath is doing that on JK’s orders.
and he hasn’t looked bad. even positionally you can see him consciously moving back at the right times. He’s tall and still quick which always helps in defense. I personally wish he was a LM but after watching him play LB I’m starting to see the appeal in the switch. He’s still useful going froward, just limitedly–perhaps a good thing; and once he really gets comfortable in the back line, he COULD become a great(-ish) LB.
It should be pretty clear by now, Klinsmann wants attacking fullbacks, that’s why he likes Yedlin and sees potential in Shea. He’s never really been a big fan of Cameron at right back because he doesn’t get forward enough. He wants the left mids to pinch inside and fill the midfield, and the full backs to give the team its width.
Just wanted to clarify…
Cameron played the full 90 this weekend so playing time is no issue. The reason for his exclusion is to try out other defenders. Most likely why Alvarado is there instead.
Surprising omission
I thought Gedion Zelalma and Ashton Gotz weren’t called in to train. I guess Shawn Parker isn’t even in consideration anymore
I think we’ve always been in talks with Shawn Parker, but I think he’s holding out for Germany. Of course, when he’s 28 and hasn’t received a phone call, he’ll probably decide he’s always wanted to play for us and wondered what took so long.
I hear his brother Devante has a bigger upside… hence he gets more call ups from germany’s youth teams. The US should go after Devante.
Ouch on the grammar
*Zelalam
*were
For the first time in a long while, I’m in agreement with Jürgen on the call ups:
-Yedlin and Green haven’t exactly earned the call-up by their play but I can live with that since they are young with upside and need games.
–I question Yarbrough and Ventura’s desire to play with the US based on past comments but I’ll give them a shot to redeem themselves.
—Ream and Williams coming in makes me happy since they have earned a call-up and have been snubbed or injury in the past.
—-If Guzan is really having a baby then that is fine. I’d like to see Cropper get a game but I have no idea if he’s ready to play or not.
—–Happy not to see Mix since I want to see other CM options get a run next to General Bradley. Even happier Zusi and Wondo are now out of the picture completely for now.
I like this starting unit:
—————-Jozy————–
Johnson—–Deuce—–Zardes
——Bradley—-Williams——
Garza–JAB–Alvarado–Chandler
————-Rimando————
Lots of speed and technical ability on this unit.
I couldn’t argue with that lineup at all, though I’ll point out that, we could very possibly see Garza, Shea & Yedlin, Chandler interchange as starters. Possibly with the CB’s as well, but I imagine Klinsy would want some sort of consistency in his backline
I’m sure we’ll see plenty of second half subs in each and rotating between Zardes/Green, Garza/Shea, Chandler/Yedlin, Morales/Williams, Johnson/Bedoya, Jozy/Jóhannsson. But I would be happy to see that group start one of the games.
“—-If Guzan is really having a baby then that is fine.”
So you think Guzan is lying about having a kid? How do you do that?? Say that his wife had a miscarriage?
Well we have made great strides in science, so yes, men now too can REALLY have babies.
Really? If Jürgen left him off due to the arrival of his baby, it’s fine to leave him off this time. If not that’s a terrible move by Jürgen. Does everything need to be explained in detail or will you continue to jump to conclusions and pretend I said something I didn’t?
You mean you did not write:
“”—-If Guzan is really having a baby then that is fine.””
If you didn’t then I apologize for pointing out how weird that looks.
If I added the following phrase to my statement, would that have sufficed in your assumption that I called Guzan a liar?
If Guzan is really having a baby then that is fine…(insert) to leave him off the roster.
By the way, I just wanted to point out how weird it looks to use quotation marks twice in your previous comment (“”—-If Guzan is really having a baby then that is fine.””). If you didn’t, I apologize.
Dude, that comment was really funny. I doubt GW meant his response aggressively at all… I was going to write something similar. If you had said, “since Guzan is having a baby…” it would have been totally normal, but you went with, “If Guzan is really…” It just sounds only skeptical… like you understand that’s what people are saying, but you aren’t totally convinced. And that’s hilarious. I’m sure you didn’t mean it to sound that way, nor the GW really mean to call you on it… it was just a funny way to say it.
“sounds only skeptical” i meant “sounds oddly skeptical”
Oh, and oops. I meant to end that with, “No worries, SBI Troll. If that really is your name.”
Could not agree more. Need to see CM possibilities and need to say goodbye to Zusi, Wondo, and Besler. Not sure about Mix.
2nd+ generation American citizens.
So you think he should be picking people whose ancestors came over on the Mayflower? Why do would anyone give a toss if they were 1st generation or 7th?
My toss is the fact that he alienates homegrown American talent in favor of other nations.
But following that logic if he picks 3rd generation Americans that would alienate 4th and 5th generations. It is ridiculous.
Explain Gyasi Zardes.
Exactly Skip, and as technical director his job is to develop homegrown talent.
ipSk,
“he alienates homegrown American talent in favor of other nations.”
What do you mean by alienate?
Can you name me a dual national player (DN) who is clearly inferior to his homegrown ( HG) equivalent?
And if the DN is more or less equivalent to the HG guy can you tell me why you would not want to challenge the HG guy with someone who can push him and possibly make him better?
Let’s say you are an HG who has been beaten out by Fabian Johnson. When you say alienate do you mean that the HG guy will just give up and say :
“ F**k JK, I deserve to be there instead of Fabian because I was born in Dayton, Ohio so I’ll just give up and go home and pout and post bad things about JK on SBI”.
Is that the kind of player you want on the USMNT. Or would he instead go back and try to get even better and challenge Fabian?
It seems to me you think that the HG from Dayton should just be handed the job. Cumulatively that would give you a USMNT full of soft, and entitled players.
Nationalism is the root of so much stupidity in the world, so I hope this isn’t behind the case your making Skip. There’s no room for people with that sort of mind set in our first universal sport, lol.
Damn foreigners taking our jobs! Gimme a break.
When Skip starts complaining about Aron Johannsen and Mix Diskerud not being American enough to play for the USMNT you can assume he being sincere in his nativist objections. Otherwise it is just racist dog-whistling directed at African American/German and Mexican American/ Latino players. It’s pathetic either way.
JK is technical director. His job is to get US soccer to the point where we can develop the world class players needed to put us among the elite soccer nations of the world. You can’t do that if you don’t give our homegrown players caps.
WCZ,
The Technical Director is supposed to .implement a program that will foster the development of better players for the teams. This takes a certain amount of time. It’s not his job to decide which players should be capped.
Homegrown players should get caps if they earn them. They are not entitled to be capped just because they are homegrown.
It is not the job of the USMNT manager to develop players per se. The senior USMNT has no mechanism by which they can efficiently and effectively “develop” players per se. Given the time constraints the players are developed elsewhere and then the Manager picks the suitable ones.
It’s called racism
If someone is qualified to be elected to high public office in the US government, then they certainly should be allowed to play soccer for the US. Almost everyone who has played for the national soccer team could conceivably qualify to become president. But that still doesn’t make them a good enough American to play soccer for the US?
Skip,
You are late to the party.
Second generation immigrants in the US are individuals born in the United States who have at least one foreign born parent.
Like Claudio Reyna whose dad came from Argentina or Landon Donovan whose father came from Canada.
or. Tim Howard (mom Hungary), Charlie Davies (dad – Gambia), Maurice Edu (Nigeria) etc.
Or how about Senator Ted Cruz who was born in Canada and had a Cuban father? Senator John McCain, born in the Canal Zone. They still qualify to be US President, but some people here don’t think that’s American enough.
::Cringe::
The Ibarra continued call up is baffeling. All I can think of is Klinsmann’s desire to prove his ability to find hidden talent. The kid is undersized and a complete joke. JK wants the USMNT to have as limited second generation American talent as possible. It’s bizarre that no one in the media is picking up on it.
“It’s bizarre that no one in the media is picking up on it.” Skip, get counselling. Your hatred for JK is beginning to make you, uh, stupid.
“limited second generation American talent as possible”. Could you clarify?
The current roster
I personally wouldn’t say that at all. Miguel Ibarra & Julian Green are one thing, but most of roster that would be considered second generation is pretty solid. Iceman, Rubio Rubin, Brooks, Alvarado…all great.
You need to go outside and make more friends.
LOL
Have you seen him play outside of the USMNT? Have you seen him practice? As Klinsmann made clear in his interview with US Soccer, he scouts all the players and so does his staff. He probably watched lots of video as well as talked to the guy and his coaches. I am amused by people who know nothing but don’t let that stop them from leaping to conclusions based on nothing but their biases. Maybe Ibarra is nothing, maybe he is a budding star. We just don’t know enough to judge.
Disagree, again. I like Ibarra.
He hasn’t shown the phenomenal dribbling skills he flashes in NASL yet…what he has shown is speed and a relentless work rate, two attributes I would have not ascribed to him when I first looked at him. At first glance, I figured he was – sorry for the stereotype – yet another smallish Latin futsal/yardball guy, somebody with great foot skills in a shoebox but who probably lacked the athleticism, speed, and work rate to really contribute at a truly high level, which is why I figured MLS was passing on him.
Now I’m not sure why the heck MLS continues to pass on him. Ibarra hasn’t looked “relaxed” yet out there with the USMNT, and his frequent feet-of-brick tell me he’s trying REALLY HARD to impress and hasn’t found his groove or his confidence yet, but his speed and relentlessness and box-to-box ability have really stood out. Then I pop in his highlights from NASL and yes, indeedy, I do see the futsal/backyard-ball dribbling skills…which tells me what his ceiling probably is, which is high.
I think Klinsmann will hit on this guy, mostly because you don’t keep him around for four straight camps if he isn’t showing out at practice…and while Ibarra hasn’t put it all together yet I think the upside is definitely there.
I am not too happy with roster: Green should be demote to under 23’s team, Ibarra seems average player from NASL, plus we know Dempsey and Altidore could do and it was perfect chance test-out new forwards, and some under 20’s deserve a chance up front.
Could not agree more. I’m starting to think players like Brian McBride or Joe Max Moore would never have gotten a chance to grow if JK had been in charge.
That’s my worry. I do like Arriola mobility and over the field but Arriola isn’t finisher maybe more Donovan-type-creative-role, while Novakovich reminds me McBride type.
Skip,
You think so? Joe Max and Brian both played in Germany.
Aren’t you contradicting yourself here? You don’t like Julian Green on it, because he isn’t tearing up the Bundesliga. Fair enough, but he is without a doubt on of the US best young prospects. Instead, you want some other conveniently unnamed young prospect, who isn’t doing any better?
James have you been keeping up with JG? Lol. He’s not good enough for the U23s
He’s a talent that has to left in the shadows and hopefully one day he’ll blossom into something.
There’s no use giving him the Freddy Adu treatment because it does nothing but demoralize and frustrate a kid. And do remember he is after all just a kid.
It’s not his fault Klinsi and JG’s agent create the situation they do, speaking to his WC inclusion controversy.
My point isn’t whether Green should or shouldn’t be on this team. Clearly he is going through a funk right now.
My point is that to say we should include young prospects on the NT, who aren’t good enough yet to be regular NT players, but not include Green among our most promising youngsters makes no sense to me. We don’t have a stockpile of 19 year olds getting regular playing time anywhere.
There’s nothing wrong saying Green shouldn’t be here on merit. But to say we should include our best youth, and then pretend that Green isn’t among our best in that category, is absurd.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who caught that contradiction.
Green’s mindset isn’t right place.
yeah, i initially balked at his inclusion as well, but klinsmann’s comments were clear that green was called up so they could get a first-hand look at his current form. this could help determine if his ‘mindset’ is a hindrance to his on-field play, or if he’s getting dealt a bad hand at hamburg.
if klinsmann decides julian warrants minutes in these friendlies, and he looks bad, then i’ll be critical. but to just call him up for evaluation? not a bad idea.
Altidore and Adu dealt similar hand, but Altidore was juggernaut with AZ but mediocre with EPL clubs, while Adu shown great performances with USNT and youth teams but being on bench ruined confidence.
+1 Def concur. Obviously, Green has no business in the side based on “merit”. But if JK wants to bring him in to assess the problem with a misfiring, high-value asset, that makes a little more sense to me.
I
I am among the people that think that those using Julian Green as the poster boy for Klinsmann’s idiocy need a new set of glasses.
The kid oozes talent. I will agree he is too small, needs more physical presence, and probably needs a year or so in the oven at club level before he’s really ready. But the kid is fast – snaky fast, because he doesn’t look like he’s going hard, until you notice how much ground he’s eating up – he’s got great touch and ball skills, and his movement is exceptional. He’s also got a nose for the goal, and finishes with verve and flair. There’s a reason Bayern is trying to season him. There’s a reason the kid scored on his first touch at the World Cup. The kid has Champions League potential.
People using him as Klinsmann’s scapegoat are guilty of exactly the same BS that got Klinsmann axed at Bayern…in no small part because he saw something special in a young Landon Donovan and Bayern spat LD back out without really ever giving him a chance. Green is potentially a very special player. Does he have miles to go? Yup. But I dunno how smart people are going to feel if he “pops”…because when he does, he’s exactly the sort of talent that could pop very quickly.
Call me the minority. But I see it too. I saw it pretty much from the get-go. See it with Zelalem too. If you can’t…well, more power to ya.
Then again, I coach state-level kids, and I think in terms of potential and development. A lot of folks just want the finished product right NOW.
+1. I can’t understand why people are so critical of Julian Green. How many young players does the USMNT have that are on the ranks at a top club in the world? Exactly 2. Green and Zelalem. Are they ready to be starters or to play huge roles on the national team? Obviously not. But we should be excited about their development, not ripping them at every setback. Think about how much things can change with Green in 4 years when he’s 23?
Bravo
Concerning Orozco, I’m glad he’s here. At the club level he’s always been pretty consistent and i think he’ll continue to get looks because he’s a great CB with a great work ethic and is one of our players at that position, so it makes a lot of sense for me.
* one of our faster players at the CB position
He has had bad luck at times. Injuries etc.
Good CB. Terrible Right back.(if yall remember the one game he played RB.)
Vividly, lol
It was just painful. He cause like 3 goals… I dont remember who we played but they shouldn’t have done that well.
It hurt that game.
+1. Orozco has been consistently solid in a USMNT shirt as far as I’m concerned. Even pitches in the occasional goal.
Julian Green give me a break. Dude couldn’t start for the USWNT. Fire Klinsmann already, dude has no desire to build anything but his ego.
That comment made me laugh. I do like Julian Green just because we lack wingers
I agree on firing Klinsmann, I’m tired of his roster selections.
USWNT LOL +1
Why Miguel Ibarra? He’s showed nothing so far, and looks way off the pace.
I’m also perplexed by the Ibarra inclusion. I understand that we are weak in the wing positions, but I’d think a Graham Zusi, or perhaps even a Harry Shipp would be more beneficial than Ibarra at this point.
From the last performance, the announcers couldn’t stop talking about Ibarra’s “work rate” in camp and his “hunger” to prove himself. If his performances aren’t up to your liking, then I’d go ahead and guess that the coaches like the behind the scenes work he brings to camps.
Why no guzan?
Also klinsi said 2 years ago if your not getting time with your club your not getting called up, he actually meant you wont get called up if your not getting time, but if i really like you then i could care less, cuz playing time is really overrated.
I just want to see one camp other than the world cup that will have our top to bottom strongest team, thats what the best sides in the world do, build consistency and team chemistry.
I haven’t been watching the EPL, but hasn’t Aston Villa been pretty abysmal?
I can’t claim to be a scout either, but even though i’ve heard he was stellar earlier in the season, one could imagine it would have an impact on his form after a while.
Well then, congrats to Brad!
He is having a child soon.
Saw on Twitter Guzan is skipping this camp for birth of his child which is expected very soon.
woah, woah, woah. What are you doing? Why are using things like information or facts and proper analysis when forming an opinion?
according to ussoccer, Guzan was left off because his wife is expecting to give birth in the coming days so presumably it was at Guzan’s request.
As for the other issue, you’ll probably be a happier person if you don’t keep track of everything JK says and insist that he be 100% consistent.
I just dont understand why players like yedlin and green are included in this camp when their not even close to being in their clubs first team.
If you like the players and want to keep them involved and in the fold, then you do just that. this is a gray area and totally w/in the coach’s prerogative, imo. any young player (especially euro-based) that made the wc squad last summer I’m all for calling in, regardless of first-team play since.
I like this squad.
– Excited to see Ventura Alvarado in action
– Glad to see Ream and Williams back in the mix
– Somewhat surprised to see Yedlin listed as a defender. I wonder if he will be used there or as a winger.
– Glad to see Zardes included after his showing against Panama.
– Makes sense to leave a number of the MLS guys with their clubs and get a look at the Euro/MX players.
+1
Great to see Williams and Ream back with the team. Besler hasn’t been too spectacular post world cup and I’d like to see more competition at that spot. As for Williams, he’s a great player, but im hoping he wont see any time on our wings!
Ventura Alvardo is great! From watching Club America games, the guy can do it all really and should be a great addition and a potential starter for us one day.
Also, It’ll be interesting to see Shea and Greg Garza battle for the LWB spot. Garza we haven’t seen in the role, but he should be able to handle it, because like Shea he grew up playing Left Mid and eventually morphed into a LB.
should his international career with the USMNT takes off, he will be know as Ace Ventura.
And if he is a bad defender they will call him Ventura Highway
Jesus, GW. Now I am going to have that horrible America song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Very rude of you….
Birnbaum?
Apparently, Klinsi wasn’t too impressed. Hedges isn’t here either, but we know Klinsmann always favors players involved in leagues he deems as superior to MLS, which is fine for me.
That’s not true about Hedges and Birnbaum.
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/03/21/22/18/150322-mnt-jk-qa-den-and-sui-roster
This is about the most detailed I’ve seen JK been in explaining a roster
Thanks for the link.
To clarify, that was just a general response to the above statement and not indicative of how I feel Klinsman rates them. At the same time, I do think he’s always playing the part of half politician, half coach and really, who knows where on the depth charts he rates those two. He only had so much of a look at them in game, so based on future selections I guess we’ll see how much he actually rates them.
Fair enough though. Point taken, as that’s probably the most elaborate statement I’ve seen him make on his selections as well.
OMRW,
BB made his tenure worse because he provided the public with almost nothing of any substance in terms of information especially on controversial topics like nepotism or Bornstein.
Therefore his many fans in places like SBI kept filling in the blanks by speculating w/o information and always assuming the worst.
JK has something of the opposite problem in that he provides almost the same amount of information as BB did , i.e. little of substance but he talks a lot more.
Some call it lying or BS. I call it coach speak since almost every manager in every sport in the US does it. I don’t think you can approach the utterances of any of these guys with the kind of literal minded attitude often on display on this site.
And the many “fans” in SBI and other places do the same thing they did with BB, speculate w/o information and assume the worst.
This latest roster explanation is most matter of fact one I’ve read. I wonder if they will all be like this going forward.
“This latest roster explanation is most matter of fact one I’ve read. I wonder if they will all be like this going forward.”
+1
it’s klinsmann’s prerogative as to how much information he gives in any interview/press conference; however, i think this is one of the best things he could do to sway public opinion of his leadership–aside from, you know, winning games.
explaining his decisions (whether you agree with them or not) helps put to rest the silly accusations that he’s in over his head or–even worse– a ‘eurosnob’.
No Klinsman plays favorites. Seriously Green?, Shea?? but I agree with you in that he is a Euro Snob. You can be a non-starter or reserve team bench rider on a Bundesliga team and get a call-up, but score several goals or help defend clean sheets for your team in the MLS and you are a non-entity.
Two more losses for the USMNT,
This whiny crap is annoying.
I think he is a “selective” Euro Snob, otherwise he would have selected Wooten long time ago.
Have you seen Wooten play?
Do the Danish and the Swiss still have strong teams? I haven’t seen them play in a while.
The team is very raw. All good players getting PT but just not USMNT regulars in terms of depth. It’s really a new beginning.
I can’t speak for their FIFA rankings (not that it matters much), but they both traditionally have strong teams.
Switzerland in particular has a great team with rising stars Ricardo Rodriguez at Wolfsburg and Xherdan Shaqiri at Inter. I wouldn’t know what to expect from Denmark though, with the ongoing labor dispute between the players association and the FA.
The Danes have settled their labor dispute.
Awesome
Christian Eriksen can do everything, can’t he…
Don’t forget Stephan Lichtsteiner of Juventus, The Swiss Express !
There we go. I fully suspect some seriously entertaining games!
the Swiss have a good team, man by man they are better than the USMNT, The danish on the other hand have a pretty weak team
I wouldn’t call them weak. Remember they finished first in qualifying for the 2012 Euro 1st above Portugal, Norway and a Rising Icelandic team.
Nicklas Bendtner, William Kvist, Michael Krohn Dehli, Daniel Agger & Simon Kjaer are just some of the bigger names i look forward too playing against.
yeah you are right I shouldn’t have said weak but they are weaker than us which is what I meant, still decent team.
LORD BENDTNER WILL STRIKE FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF EVERY US PLAYER!
@Charlie The Swiss are not better than the US. Not by any measure but certainly not Man by Man
When compared to CONCACAF, yes they still have strong teams. When compared to the rest of Europe, they are middleclass.
Yes, both teams are at minimum decent to pretty solid, specifically the Swiss. As for who to play against them, it all depends on what Klinsmann is trying to achieve. I’m sure we will see some odd inclusions on the starting 11, but below is what I am looking at. You can switch around Zardes, Bedoya, and Dempsey depending on who you want where. In addition, Green and Yedlin can also create some changes. Also, Bradley could be moved to CAM or some type of offensive central role while Williams plays in front of the back 4. The shape will likely be different, so that will skew everything as well. I suppose this is a good problem to have. Let’s see if it translates as such.
———–Altidore——————–Dempsey————-
—————————–Bedoya—————————–
Johnson———————————————–Zardes
——————————–Bradley————————–
Garza——-Ream——-Orozco (Alvarado)—-Chandler
——————————Rimando————————–
On a random note, Gatt is getting back after his injuries. If all goes well, could be another wing addition in the next 6 months. Once Gyau has fully recovered, yet another potential inclusion. Things are looking up. Our midfield seems to be strengthening. My biggest concern is the striker position. While we have talent, we haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. Hopefully, as we fine tune our defense and midfield, this will lead to all around better possession and chance creation so the strikers have less to do.