Photo by Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
By FRANCO PANIZO
The U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the upcoming friendlies is set to be unveiled this weekend, and the discussion on who should be on it is about to go into hyperdrive.
U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is set to reveal his squad for the looming September matches against Peru and Brazil, and has already revealed that veterans Tim Howard and DaMarcus Beasley will be on it. Who joins them is up for debate, but it seems crystal clear that Klinsmann will go with most of his first-choice players as he attempts to prepare the Americans for October’s all-important 2017 Confederations Cup playoff vs. Mexico.
While some observers might want a litany of changes from the team that performed poorly at the CONCACAF Gold Cup last month, the reality is that Klinsmann is likely to count on many of the same players. One or two new faces like red-hot Sandhusen forward Andrew Wooten could be brought in, but the roster will probably have very few major surprises.
Almost all the major leagues around the world are now in full swing, so Klinsmann will have plenty of options to choose from and some tough decisions to make. In particular, right back is a position that Klinsmann will need to think about plenty given that Fabian Johnson is recovering from an injury while Timmy Chandler only just began to see time again for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Klinsmann might also have to mix things up at the forward and centerback spots, especially at the former spot since leading talisman Clint Dempsey is struggling with a knock.
Who will Klinsmann call up? Here are the 23 players that we think he brings in:
Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, William Yarbrough
Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Greg Garza, Timmy Chandler, DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, Tim Ream, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez
Midfielders (7): Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Joe Corona, Alejandro Bedoya, Danny Williams, Gyasi Zardes, Mix Diskerud
Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski, Bobby Wood, Andrew Wooten
Some thoughts:
There might be some that think that this too closely resembles the squad that failed to lift the Gold Cup trophy in July, but it is tough to envision an abundance of changes a month before a crucial game against arch-rival Mexico.
You can expect players other than Tim Howard and DaMarcus Beasley to brought back into the fold here, including Jermaine Jones. The veteran midfielder is recovered from his injury, and playing again for the New England Revolution. He has not seen a whole lot of minutes since returning to full health, but his leadership qualities and hard-nosed style of play are surely things Klinsmann will want to reintegrate into the group.
Other familiar faces that could return to the mix are Bobby Wood, Danny Williams and Geoff Cameron. The latter player might be the most interesting or surprising one of this bunch to some, but the fact that he has opened the Premiership season by playing as a centerback makes him a viable option. Cameron could replace the struggling Ventura Alvarado on the squad or even John Brooks, who is a candidate to join the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team’s September camp instead of this one so as to prepare for Olympic qualifying.
The rest of the defense should be comprised of players who took part in the forgettable Gold Cup campaign. Greg Garza is likely to be summoned despite not being an every-game starter for Atlas these days, and DeAndre Yedlin and Timmy Chandler probably will be called upon as well due to the expected absence of Fabian Johnson.
There is the outside possibility that Yedlin joins the U.S. Under-23 camp since he’s age-eligible. Should that happen, Klinsmann could be tempted to give a look to Jonathan Spector or Eric Lichaj, two fullback options who are starting for their respective Championship clubs but have not received many call-ups in recent years.
In the midfield, Klinsmann is unlikely to deviate from the players he has used for much of the past year. Some fans and pundits might be calling for the likes of Benny Feilhaber or Sacha Kljestan to be called in, but that seems like a long shot even with Mix Diskerud looking out of form at New York City FC. A more likely candidate to replace Diskerud, if it happens, is Sebastian Lletget of the LA Galaxy.
One minor surprise that we do see here is Kyle Beckerman getting dropped in favor of Williams due to the Real Salt Lake midfielder’s rough outings at the Gold Cup.
As far as forwards go, Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, and Chris Wondolowski appear set to lead the front line in the injured Clint Dempsey’s absence. Altidore has not been in the best of form since being sent back to Toronto FC following the group stage of the Gold Cup, but his package of athleticism, skill, and experience are unmatched in the pool.
Andrew Wooten could be the one real newcomer in this group due to his goal-scoring exploits in the 2. Bundesliga with Sandhausen, but another possibility is New England Revolution striker Charlie Davies. If Davies were to be called in, there would be plenty of intriguing headlines given that his international career looked to have effectively ended in Washington, D.C., some six years ago.
i don’t get the talk about trying to bring in “30%” new faces or some other relatively big number. the whole complaint after the Gold Cup was JK didn’t let the team gel. so now we want to tear it apart with only two friendlies before a massive game? make up your minds!
“Report: Jozy Altidore to take part in both USMNT friendlies while Bradley splits time with Toronto FC”
……….thats cold. TFC want to keep their good players at home for the upcoming games and need that boost to make the playoffs. So they will keep Bradley and have on problem giving us Altidore….I smell foul play hahahahahahaha
Time for new evaluations. Last chance before Mexico. Can’t hurt to Give others an opportunity to impress and break-in.
Gk: Howard, Guzan, Hamid
CB: Cameron, Hedges, Ream, Besler
RB/LB: Lichaj, Beasley, Rogers
CM: Bradley, Williams, Feilhaber, Dax, Jones
Wingers: Finlay, Lletget, Yedlin
ATT: Johansson, Wood, Wooten, Morris, Zardes
Starting XI vs Peru:
Gk: Howard
RB: Lichaj
RCB: Hedges
LCB: Ream
LB: Rogers
CM: Jones
CM: Williams
CAM: Feilhaber
LM: Lletget
RM: Finlay
ST: Aron
Starting XI vs Brazil:
GK: Howard
RB: Yedlin
RCB: Cameron
LCB: Besler
LB: Beasley
CM: Bradley
CM: Dax
CAM: Feilhaber
LM: Lletget
RM: Finlay
ST: Morris
I know this is all unlikely. But I don’t see the harm in giving some guys an opportunity. The Gold Cup squad didn’t get the job done. We are sorely lacking at the outside backs. Our center back pairing was poor. We have zero effectiveness from our wingers. Outside of Dempsey, there isn’t much happening up front. Beckerman looked poor in the GC. We lacked creativity in the final third. We didn’t have meaningful, dangerous possession in the opponents half for long stretches. Give some folks a chance and find the best squad for the one-off game in October.
jag,
I haven’t researched this but Herrera once basically capped the entire Club America to makes things simpler.
If you believe in team cohesion, which team, LA, NYRB, DC United , Revs or SKC would you just cap all the Americans and then fill in?.
Hope they can find success with playoff. It just seems like JK is turning into the type of coach during Arena and Bradley’s second term. He’s getting too comfortable in the position and no amount of change, whether small or large, is needed. I don’t think a drastic change is needed,but he’s starting to stick with his “familiar” players.
Bradley did not have a second term.
And all three guys stuck with “familiar ” players mostly because they had little choice.
If you are Italy today you can probably afford not to play guys like Giovinco or Pirlo, even though they are still good enough because you have a lot of alternatives.
Since when has the USMNT had that kind of luxury?.
MLS is doing great but doing well in MLS is not proof that you are an international level player. You can name a number of MLS players who went to bigger leagues and did well
but how many of them became stars?
And how do they stack up if you compare that the guys from Japan or Korea or Mexico who have transferred to bigger leagues? Is it a lot better?
Do me a favor and research the South Korean and Japanese Leagues the last 5-10 years and tell me how many players they have playing at bigger leagues and doing well and them compare that to Americans from MLS and tell me how well they are doing at higher level leagues.
Arena, BB and JK are all fine coaches but you can barely distinguish between their USMNT records and that is very simply because the player pool is still where it has been for a while, mediocre, with almost no attacking flair. Contrast that with the South Koreans and the Japanese.
You can get all patriotic and accuse me of anti Americanism or worse, anti MLS fervor but the facts are there.
Well said @GW!
You are exactly right. Landon Donovan was the closest thing we had to “attacking flair.”
England have Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Spain have Iniesta and David Silva.
Brazil have Neymar and Felipe Anderson.
Germany have Goetze and Ozil.
Argentina has Messi and Di Maria.
This list goes on and on. The US has not yet produced a single player who fits into that world class “flair” category. The countries I just mentioned have many.
There is still an obvious gulf in class between us and the better footballing countries of the world.
I thought a little while ago you were arguing that the US needs more consistency and that Klinsmann shouldn’t be shuffling players around so much. Now you’re saying he shouldn’t stick so much with the same players. Would you make up your mind? Or, as likely, you will take whatever argument you can to bash Klinsmann. You’re one who needs consistency.
Anyway, we need some new blood in USNT. Wood, Morris, Wooten, Novakovich, Arriola etc…
Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore and others MLSer’s that teams aren’t doing so well, should be rested.
I suppose the roster offered by Ives is close and if it is, it is exactly the problem. Is there any reason in the world to keep calling in a good portion of this crew? They FAILED at the Gold Cup. Have they somehow, magically got better? This is the time to try at least 30% new people and why would Jozy be on anybody’s list these days unless to take a dive and hope for a PK.
The Men’s NAT team is depressing these days and I think that only a run of failures will expose JK to the point that USoccer has to do something. Do it now, early in the cycle, so that we have time to actually start moving forward again.
I’m curious. Who are the better players you are going to magically pull out of a hat that will play better?
Ah, why even try and guess anymore? Besides the regulars, there is no telling what Klinsmann’s mind is thinking anymore. He wants club level performance, but then sometimes calls in players who aren’t doing well at the club level, and excludes many who are. At least he’s consistent with being inconsistent.
ac,
What is the advantage in having a manager who is predictable?
If the USMNT had a bunch of truly world class, top flight players then you’d probably have a predictable lineup like Barca, Spain, Germany or Bayern Munich do.
What you have with the USMNT is a pair of very good goalkeepers, Clint and then a bunch of players who may or may not rise to the occasion.
That is the reality.
The advantage of being predictable is that then you might have a back line that knows each other, can play together, has played together, and can give you a better chance of winning.
That was apparently exactly what JK was trying at CB at the gold cup, and it didn’t turn out so well. Developing chemistry amongst individual players for the USMNT is virtually impossible. There isn’t enough time together, injuries, clubs won’t release players, etc. The better idea is to develop a system or 2 that remains the same regardless of who is playing. As GW said, the biggest problem right now is a lack of talent. The best players we have are well over 30, and havent been replaced. There are some promising prospects under 23, but as for talented players in their prime that can be difference-makers, we have the GKs, Bradley, Fabian J, and thats about it.
That is my point. It’s not constantly bring in new faces or vice versa. It’s finding some consistency. All of a sudden, Brooks and Ventura were the starters. Not that they were doing terrible at the club level, but they never played much together. And then the outside back situation was constantly changing as well. The back line had no cohesion. That’s one example. You could also look at his insistence at playing players in unfamiliar roles simply because he “believes” that is their best position even though they don’t player there at the club level. Mix and Corona in the defensive midfield position. They were manhandled. Now I can see Zardes’s speed being well suited for the wide mid role and he played it with adequacy, but he excels at the club level as a forward.
ac,
You should look at other national teams. Playing guys in positions that they don’t play at their clubs is very common.
National teams are by their nature , short term makeshift constructs for most countries outside the big boy pants teams.
Bradley for example, plays the so called #10 ( though not really) basically because he is the only guy in the pool you can trust to do a credible job at that level. You can argue about whether that is his “best ” role but I don’t think you can argue that he is the only person in the pool, besides JJ, with the kind of “intangibles”, it takes to play that role for this team.
This is not some FIFA game, It is the real thing and intangibles play a lot into it.
Mikey isn’t great but his overall combination of tangible and intangible characteristics makes him the best guy currently for that role.
As far as I’m concerned besides JJ the only other player for that role in the pool is Stu Holden and he really isn’t in the pool is he?
I can see your point. At the same time, why hasn’t JK given the #10 role a chance with others? I’m not talking about a quick cameo, but an actual chance. In the Colombia, which we were dominated against, Nguyen actually stood out, and held his own against them. We definitely know JK’s excuse with Feilhaber, but the fitness excuse was a while back. Benny has been playing superb and is contributing on both ends. Why not make Bradley a box-to-box (which he already plays in a way even when JK wants him as the attacking midfielder) and put in Feilhaber or Nguyen there? Or at least try it in friendlies where they can get more than a small cameo? I understand the need to adapt with the national game, but at the same time, JK has seen players fail bad with that, aka Danny Williams playing a wing role in the past. Playing to a players’ strengths is the usual best way to find the best out of that player. Now sometimes that player is multi-versatile, such as Dempsey, Zardes, Bradley, but also many are not, such as Danny Williams, Mix, and Corona, etc. Mix is not a #6 as JK insists he try and be, or be a winger. If JK wants defense, then why continue to select Mix? Just a thought. But back the point, nothing wrong with being unpredictable, but also how about some consistency with reasoning for selections.
Tell you what ac go back and tell me what game or series of games you think would have been a good time to give Benny a test run at running the team.
As for Nguyen, as I recall JK called him in but then he came up injured and hasn’t really been back to his best since.
Ac,
You are 100% right about the consistency. In any successful organization the concept of understanding what is going on is important…..we train the way we fight, and once you have found something that works do things the same way all the time each and every time, till you and people around you are on the same page. If you pick and stick to the right people for the job it wouldn’t matter if the opposition thinks they know what is coming, because you do what you do better than their preparation to counter. On point man
The important part of your post is “right people” by which I take it to mean “right players”
The US does not have enough of them..
Interesting arguments. GW thinks the USMNT player pool sucks and genius JK is making the best he can of it while bizzy thinks JK is making things worse by playing guys out of position.
Have to go with bizzy here. Best example was in the Gold Cup playing Mix as a #6 (or #8) and MB as a #10, exactly the opposite of where each should be playing.
There’s a big difference between mediocre and sucks.
Seeing as how Mix and Mikey often switch positions during the course of a game, that is not the best example.
Of bigger concern is that Mix isn’t playing well regardless of where you place him. He looks burned out.
wood cz,
Then it is on the players to play well enough to earn the kind of predictability you speak of.
JK has managed 63 games since taking over in 2011. That’s about 15 games a calendar year
Depending on their league, a player who plays regularly with his club gets a shot at maybe 40 to 50 or so games a season.
If you throw in the preseason and the regular training sessions it should be clear that if you want to play regularly for the US you have to produce instantly or make enough of an impression that you will produce in the near future. The is the nature of the game when you play for a national team..
For example, after a hiatus of 40 days since the Gold Cup ended you play on a Friday then the following Tuesday and then the team doesn’t play again for a month. If you are lucky you will play all three games with the same teammates next to to you but that often isn’t possible.
It’s not like that if you play for the Sounders or SKC.
National teams will never have the kind of continuity you get with a club..
The point is, I’m sure JK , like any manager, would love to have 4 guys he could throw out there every game and not have to think about it.
But the players haven’t been up to it.
I think further emphasis needs to be put on the difference between international and club play. In international play, you have to go with the players you have. If you have a position of weakness, you are pretty much SOL, unless you can convert someone to that position. With a club team, you go out and get a good player for that position. In the past it has been discussed here about how Klinsmann, by playing guys in a lot of different positions, has created versatility and flexibility in the personnel. When you are playing a lot of games in a short period of time, you lose a player to injury or card accumulation, you have to adjust on the fly. Having players who can play 2 or 3 positions is important in tournament play. This is why fitness is so important and why players, like Feilhaber, who haven’t had a long term to commitment to it, are on the outs. Right now the US has a lot of players who rqate as “pretty good” on the international scale. When you look at the top teams, all have players who are stars on club teams in top teams in top leagues. Many have international superstars. We don’t have any. Klijnsmann has to mix and match a lot. Combine that with the fact that it’s a number of games in a short period in international tournaments, not a whole season. So, you lose a couple of key players at a crucial time and maybe you don’t get out of a group. Say the US were to lose both Bradley and Dempsey during a tournament. We would be in deep trouble. With a full season a club team can maybe work through that until the players get healthy or they sign someone else. Club teams and international teams are just so different.
Ethan Finlay!!
Its a little over board with CB only if you see them as CBs and not RBs
Morales plays right wing in a 4-3-3 formation, not DM. Dax McCarthy has a high passing percentage rate, plays that particular position in MLS and was good enough to be selected for the MLS Allstar game.
Cameron plays RB and CB for Stoke and just got converted
Tim Ream played RB and CB for Bolton (against teams like Fulham, Watford, Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers just to name a few)
Chad Marshall is solid in the Sounders defense and has been honored with Defender of the year time after time
If JK was going to play Cameron at right back he would have done so by now.
Both JK and Cameron have gone on record as saying that CB was his best, most natural position.
Now that he is getting a run at center back for Stoke I see no rationale for bringing him into the USMNT and NOT playing him at centerback.
that’s true and like you said Klinsmann has gone on record, but the truth is Cameron is the strongest RB (way better than Chandler) we have and has logged in more minutes defensively at Stoke at RB. With Brooks (6′ 4″) and Gonzalez (6′ 5″) at CB, and Cameron (6′ 3″) at RB our aerial coverage and strength of the defense would be very good.
If the aerial coverage is good then you go in on the ground..
Cameron is not the kind of RB JK wants.
Basically think Dolo.
Fabian is the closest guy we have to Dolo..
Cameron played in the EPL at that position….I believe that he is qualified to handle aerial or ground attacks (especially from Jamaica, Panama, Mexico etc)
Tiki Taka was developed in Spain in a large part as a response to the realization that the Spanish could not match her European neighbors in terms of the kind of physical prowess you talk about.
That did not work out too bad. Barca have never been a physically imposing team.
It never hurts to be big, tall, fast and strong but don’t think for a minute that that is good enough.
Do you think David Silva or Santi Cazorla or Leo Messi are worried about big, tall defenders?
no David Silva or Santi Cazorla or Leo Messi will not be worried about big / tall defenders but at the same time they won’t be worried about ANYTHING we have to offer either lol.
Germany is big, tall, fast, strong, and skilled. They are definitely the better team right now. Where have you been?Germany has been over powering opponents for decades. When they beat us in the 2002 WC, it was due to a Michael Ballack header where he basically out muscled the defense to the ball.
Gary Page,
Germany? Where have I been?
In 1998 when they beat up on the US the 2-0 scoreline did not reflect how badly the US were out manned and pushed around and generally intimidated by Germany, captained by a certain J Klinsmann who scored.
It was boys against men then and has been for a long time. But that superiority is about a lot more than physical power.
You complain about people not reading your posts carefully but then don’t bother to extend that courtesy to others, Typical of SBI.
This is what I wrote:
“It never hurts to be big, tall, fast and strong but don’t think for a minute that that is good enough.”
It’s not enough to be all those things if you are not fundamentally sound, skilled and know how to play the game.
.
Now if you have the whole package, as many of the Germans do, then all the better. But most of our back four candidates do not fit that description.
It’s nice that our guys are big and strong and tough and brave and aerially superior but if you can beat them on the ground, if they can be easily leveraged and pulled out of position or if they make naive, silly errors like giving the ball away in very bad places, things I’ve seen with all of them, then they can be the Hulk and it won’t matter.
Since we’re talking things Spanish, Spain’s defense in its prime:
Carles Puyol, 5’10”
Sergio Ramos, 6′
True Dr. Varela but we don’t have anything close to a Puyol or Ramos (players who rely on talent rather than physical attributes)
Gerard Pique 6’5″.
When Puyol was around Ramos was at RB.
That gets counterbalanced by the size of their midfield and their forwards.
And 5’10 and 6′ is hardly imposing.
As I said it never hurts to have big talented guys but Barca/Spain’s defense was based loosely on the notion that if you didn’t have the ball you couldn’t score,that chasing the ball for most of the game took the edge off your offense and that being terrified of an instantaneous counter attack also took the edge off of your offense.
i specifically noted that it’s overboard but helps that each can play fullback. Orozco and Alvarado can play RB too. point is, i think it’s overboard and we should bring a guy like Corona instead of Marshall. regarding Chad Marshall, i just don’t agree with him getting a callup whatsoever. too late for him. i used to be on a train, but that was years ago now.
and yes, i know where Morales plays. i’m not making a like-for-like swap. i’m choosing to not bring Dax. is he a solid player? yes. but he’s never really been a part of the A team and these two friendlies are not the time to bring him in. come the Mexico game, he wouldn’t be playing anyway. Morales, on the other hand, is on a good track at the club level, has been involved with the A team a few times, and appears set to be a legit midfield option for us.
Goal Keepers
Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Bill Hamid
Defenders
DaMarcus Beasley, Greg Garza, John Brooks, Tim Ream, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Chad Marshall
Midfielders
Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Sebastian Lletget, Graham Zusi, Danny Williams, Benny Feilhaber, Dax McCarthy
Forwards
Gyasi Zardes, Aron Johannsson, Charlie Davis, Bobbie Wood, Andrew Wooten
——————-ZARDES—————JOHANNSSON————-
——————————-FEILHABER———————————
—-LLETGET———————————————–BEDOYA—-
—————————-DAX MCCARTHY—————————–
—BEASLEY——-BESLER——–GONZALEZ—-CAMERON
———————————-HOWARD————————————
Sometime in the second Half
Jones for McCarthy
Zusi for Bedoya
Tim Ream for Besler
Wooten for AJ or Zardes
I think you people are delusional. McCarty was brought into last January’s camp and played something like a total of 10 minutes in the next couple of friendlies. JK obviously doesn’t rate him highly enough. Has Feilhaber been playing defense at SKC? That was the big knock against him and he won’t get a call up until he shows Klinsmann he’s dedicated to playing both sides of the ball. Besler really ticked JK off by complaining about having to be in shape last year when called into the January camp and Klinsmann hasn’t even seen Lletget practice yet with the men’s team, so there’s no telling how good he is. He may call him into camp and give him some minutes, but starting? Highly unlikely. And if Chad Marshall didn’t play much about 5 years ago, he;’s certainly not the future for the US team now. His time has passed.
Chad Marshall had issues with injuries that eventually knocked him out of the 2010 picture.
Then again I remember watching him and Goodson get torn apart by Mexico in the 5-0 2009 Gold Cup final.
I thought Parke had promise but he seems to have faded from the picture.
And of course George John was going to solve all the USMNT’s centerback issues for years according to everyone on SBI if only they could keep Greece from capping him.
..
No I think you are. McCarthy is the rock of NYRBs, who where on a 6 game winning streak, he controls the midfield, replaced Lampard on the MLS Allstar team when he had to drop out (which says a lot) and has a high pass completion percentage.
If you know anything about MLS you should know Feilhaber is a much more improved player and the heartbeat of SKC. He has improved tremendously in areas of fitness, Defense, assists (13) and scoring (8).
Have you seen Lletget play? Evidently not. He is one of the reasons LA is currently dominating and blowing out teams
But people on here are delusional because USMNT rather switch players around to learn a new positions as the game goes on, we rather switch up formation over and over again and confuse players as to what their jobs really are, we rather keep players like Altidore who seems to score when the game doesn’t matter to lead our attack, we rather judge players base on what they did a year…3 years ago than what is happening or how they are playing right know…..and who is really delusional Gage?
Dax doesn’t need to be there because we have:
Bradley
Jones
Williams
Mix (although, idk about him right now…)
Morales
Beckerman
all of whom are already integrated with the team. it’d be one thing if this was for friendlies that were not meant to prep us for the Mexico game, IMO.
obviously Bradley isn’t going to be in the first game…so my vote would be Kitchen over Dax if I had to choose one.
I don’t expect people to read and remember my posts, but if you check out above you will see that I have nothing against Lletget. I am a Galaxy fan and have seen almost every game he has played for them. Since about the second game he played I have been touting him. My point is that we don’t know yet how good he is and certainly Klinsmann doesn’t know since he hasn’t even seen him in a camp practicing against other internationals. Many players have done well in MLS, but then flamed out in international play. Lletget deserves a look, but a lot of minutes right away? No, nor will Klinsmann do that. I wrote based on what I think Klinsmann will do. As for Dax McCarty, he caught my attention when he played for US youth teams and I have followed his career since. The season before last I was touting him and urging him to get a look with the US national team. Last year, due in part to injuries, he was not as outstanding. I like the guy, but, given how little he played after the last January camp, it should be obvious that Klinsmann doesn’t rate him highly. I think Dax is a little slow in foot speed for the international game. If you are a Feilhaber fan, you should know he’s in Klinsmann’s dog house. If you knew his career, you would see that he has ended up in the dog house with a lot of managers because of his lack of commitment.. I asked if he was playing defense now because he’s going to have to do a lot to get back into Klinsmann’s good graces. This is all about who Klinsmann will pick, not who you would pick. And the name is Page.
to be fair, Benny was praised a lot this season because he has played deep and helped out defensively. Alexi and Matt Doyle, for example, have written/talked about this multiple times.
little overboard on the CBs if you ask me. i guess it helps Ream and GC can play fullback, but we all know JK won’t play Cameron there. and Ream is a fill-in LB but you already have Garza and Beasley. i see no need for Marshall. i’d bring a guy like Corona instead and sacrifice a defender. Corona is playing too well to be left off.
i’d add in Morales in place of Dax…but that’s just me.
You lost me at Zusi
honestly, Yarbrough should lose his spot given what has happened with him. Hamid should 100% be the 3rd keeper.
also, i read Williams hobbled off the field in his last game. haven’t heard anything sense, so he’s probably ok, but that could play into this.
i also think 5 strikers is interesting if JK does that. i thought Morales would be a JK lock. he’s officially a Bundesliga starter in midfield.
as for Mix, i like the guy, but he has done nothing to warrant a callup.
Sebastian Lletget
Why is Wooten listed as a forward? He’s always listed in MF for Sandhausen.
Wondo’s inclusion is… a no no. Let’s look to the future. I say… NO.
As for Altidore… I say NO again.
Let’s bring in some new blood.
Also JK – check your ego at the door. Feilhaber is hitting all cynlinders.
Sorry but from my point of view there is absolutely NO Earthly Reason to have Wondolowski included in roster discussions. If he is there it would be a wasted roster selection. I would use this selection to look at Lleget or Finlay especially since Zardes could be used (and IMO better suited) as a striker.
Would not be surprised to see Diskerud left off the squad either. He’s not been very impressive for club or country lately. Considering JK sees Mix as more of a CDM and with Jones, Bradley, and Williams there are sufficient players to cover this role. Would prefer to see either a wing option (Lleget or Finlay) or Feilhaber at this time.
Another name I’d like to see called, even if he can’t participate in the match, would be Nagbe. I think it would be huge to begin integrating him into the squad sooner rather than later.
i agree no need for Wondo and Jozy on this roster; one or the other or neither..
that said Wondo is on fire right now in MLS… still I would rather see AJ-Zardes with Wooten and Wood off the bench.
Lletget > Diskerud!!!!
I wouldn’t mind seeing Chandler, Brooks and Yedlin stay in Europe for the U23 camp or just stay with their clubs (TC) and bring in Besler, Orozco and someone else (Alvarado, Kitchen, Birnbaum, idk..) getting their spots
I have been impressed with and touting Lletgert since his first few games with the Galaxy. However, it is quite the step up from the Galaxy to international play. Maybe he will be good enough to play for the national team and even start, but until we see him play, we just don’t know if he’s good enough. Also, he’s only 22, so he might be a year or two away from being good enough. He only played a couple of games for West Ham, so his total club experience is basically 10-12 games for the Galaxy. He’s worth a look, but it’s way too early to put him into the starting lineup.
Lost in Space,
Why do you want Nagbe included? What would he do for the USMNT that they can’t get from someone else?
I have not seen a lot of Portland but their offensive stats don’t seem that impressive and seemed to suffer when Valeri got hurt. It seems Valeri is their version of Robbie Keane.
When Valeri was hurt did Nagbe take over for him and run the offense?
You include Nagbe in the USMNT because there is simply no one in the current pool who has the ball control skills and agility/speed that he possesses. He blows by two to three players regularly. No one in MLS can stop him with any regularity which is why he has consistently been the most fouled player in the league for the last three years. At the moment he and Giovinco are tied for the most fouls suffered; that should tell you something. If the USMNT team was getting two to three extra free kicksgame or a pk that could certainly make a difference. When Valeri got injured he did not completely fill that void but that is not the type of player he is at the moment and he is several years younger in pro experience. He did however make numerous assists. And who on the USMNT is as good as Valeri of last season anyway? Not many if any. Even Valeri, since coming back from injury, has not been near the Valeri of last season. In an interview Valeri said he has played with Falcao, Aguero, the top players in the world and Nagbe is the best. Now I don’t take that to mean he thinks Nagbe is the best player in the world but I took to mean there are things Nagbe can do that put him with the best in the world for that skill. However, until he has his citizenship I would give a look to Lletget, Rolfe, Bruin, etc.
Did I miss something Nagbe’s citizenship hasn’t come through yet correct?
I hadn’t thought of him as a potential player since his 2 goals and 2 assists do not inspire, however, the drawing of fouls does give me pause.
Have not heard that his citizenship came through, but it was reported that it should happen in September.
Yup. What this guy said.
We need to add Nagbe and two Galaxy guys and I suspect a lot of our problems are…over. Those two are Lletget and Robbie Rogers…IMHO, why complicate things? Lletget and Rogers are a formidable pairing for LA Galaxy and seem to read and work together well, and they definitely fill a need…use what you got there.
We need a fast, athletic left back and Rogers is that. We definitely need wingers and Lletget and Nagbe fill those holes.
What that allows you to do is shift Gyasi Zardes from right wing to what is probably his more natural position, which is high striker…and put some heat on (or outright replace), Jozy Altidore, who has been…sporadic, to put it mildly. Put Clint – or Aron Johnassen – in the hole under him and we’re likely set for awhile, especially with Wood and Morris coming on like they have.
Then all we need is a CDM to replace Beckerman – who has clearly fallen way off – and we have a starting 11 again.
My inclusion of Nagbe is based on a number of things….
1) The US Team in general has been lacking for speed. Nagbe can provide speed as either a wide midfielder or as an ACM type player.
2) If played as an ACM than Bradley can be moved to a role where he’s better suited (CDM or Box-to-Box CM).
3) Nagbe has shown is MLS to have good tactical awareness and the ability to generate scoring chances for his teammates.
4) I didn’t have him included as a player for the actual game day roster, but as a guest participant to the camp in order to evaluate him and get him familiar with players. Similar to what Bob Bradley did w/ Jones before the 2010 WC when Jones was injured.
Disagree. No matter that this is a friendly and that Wondo is very unlikely to be on the US next WC team. He is nonetheless the player who scores goals and in a league where doing that is as hard or harder than those in the Eeerdivisie, Bundis-II, etc.
Without Dempsey, Altidore perfoming poorly lately, AJ’s underwhelming performance despite all the minutes in the Gold Cup, a coach has to ask where are the goals going to come from. Love him or hate him, Wondo does find good spots and does score goals. If a coach says players must perform for their club team and one does in such a demosntrable way, it is really unlikely that coach will leave that player off the roster. Whether or not Wondo gets a start is still pretty unclear, but being on the roster is very likely.
That roster looks really weak at the wide midfield positions. Bedoya (is he healthy again?) can certainly play there, but who else? I know Zardes has been filling in, and has his moments, but he seems better used at forward. To be fair, I can’t really come up with many established replacements. Is Zusi injured? Maybe time to try some new faces…Lletget looks interesting.
Bedoya is back, yes.
Nagbe is mentioned below but I wanted to add him here specifically as he would definitely add speed and skill on the ball out wide. And though he’s played mostly on the right for Portland he’s also been very effective inverted on the left.
Nagbe aside, I do agree with those of you calling for a look to the future rather than a short sighted prep for Mexico.
The day JK calls in Lichaj will be the day that… wait, nevermind. It’ll never happen.
There’s a better chance of him calling in Landon than Lichaj. Who knows what that dude did to JK.
no joke. there has to be a story there. Lichaj plays in Europe in a position of need but JK refuses to call him. i can’t imagine he just simply doesn’t rate him. maybe so though.
JK has called him in on two occasions i can remember. judging from his performances there I believe JK just doesn’t rate him highly.
it may be but i still don’t buy into it completely.
How much have you seen Lichaj play? I saw him a fair amount with Villa ,with BB’s USMNT and his in last two appearances under JK.
Overall he is a very solid defender, was fast ( I haven’t seen him play for Forest and I don’t know if his various injuries have taken some of his speed).
In terms of going into the attack, he won’t remind anyone of Dolo. At Villa when he went forward he was turnover prone. And he was pretty anonymous when JK played him though playing only garbage time minutes at the end of games tends to make one anonymous.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, if the US needed a fullback who was solid defensively but had little to offer going forward the US already has a number of guys to do that starting with Cameron who is not used at right back precisely because JK seems to require offensive output from that spot.
To me Lichaj is the perfect example of the backup QB syndrome, you love him because he never plays. And you can’t make any mistakes if you don’t play.
I wouldn’t have a problem if they called him in but leaving him out doesn’t seem like the long national nightmare that everyone is making it out to be either.
just from what’s on TV. and to me he didn’t lose a step. but i’ve read plenty on him as well about his play over a few seasons now.
that’s a good analogy honestly, but with our issues/injuries at fullback, why not check him out? that’s all i’m saying. it’s been awhile and his club play has been consistent.
Lichaj just isn’t the sort of outside back Klinsmann looks for. If he was going to play an athletic, relatively technically challenged outside back who doesn’t contribute a lot going forward we’d have Geoff Cameron starting there every game.
Garza and Lichaj are almost identical fullbacks. but Lichaj actually has speed compared to Garza, Cameron, and even Orozco who has played RB.
i by no means am Lichaj-obsessed, but i see no harm in looking again.
Disagree.
Lichaj is faster, but Garza has great touch on the ball, passes well, and gets forward with purpose. He’s just too slow and doesn’t defend that well.
Don’t think they’re similar
And I don’t think either is getting called in
i said “almost”. the truth is, they are more similar than dissimilar. both provide more defensively than offensively yet each have slightly different characteristics (Lichaj & speed, Garza & touch).
i’d bet on Garza getting the call.
All I know is that Timmy Chandler keeps getting looks at RB, so how big a downgrade can Lichaj be?
Pick your poison.
Chandler is a defensive liability
Lichaj is an offensive non factor
I prefer defenders that defend. But that’s just me. I don’t see Chandler contributing near enough going forward to make up for defensive play.
When’s the last time you watched Lichaj?
slowleftarm,
You prefer defenders that can only defend?
Then the US can drop Chandler and play Cameron or Orozco if that is what they want.
But that is a separate question.
The question of this thread is Lichaj and why he isn’t being called in.
You seem to think it’s a really big deal. I think it’s a non issue.
+1000
TheFrenchOne,
When was the last time you actually saw Lichaj play?
When Lichaj was in the EPL with Aston Villa, he was mainly a late minute sub until some injuries got him about 4 or 5 starts. He basically played himself off the squad in those starts. He’s kind of a slower version of Marvel Wynne. He’s athletic and can cover some ground and looks good, but his technique is seriously lacking and he got beaten pretty routinely by good players. Maybe he’s gotten better in the Championship, but he hasn’t been purchased by any Premier League teams, so it would seem he’s not EPL material and probably not international quality. For games against Latin teams, we are better off with someone who plays those technical players regularly, such as Garza or Beasley who played a couple of years in Mexico. Even Castillo would be better.
I always thought it was very telling when Lichaj was at Villa.
Lambert came in and the first buy he made was a right back. Then the next buy he made was a left back.
I actually have a transcript of the call that put Lichaj in the doghouse.
START TRANSCRIPT
Ring, Ring!!!!
EL: Lichaj residence.
JK: Hallo Eric, zis is Jurgan Klinsmann how vould you like to play goalkeeper fur the USA?
EL: You need to work on that lousy German accent. Try calling back after the pubs close mate.
JK: No, I am serious. I vant you to play ze false 1.
EL: Bugger off you bloody sod! Next time you prank call somebody try something believable. False 1, what kind of tosser do you take me for [CLICK]
END TRANSCRIPT
If Mix gets called in over someone like Benny or Lletget or Finlay, I am going to collect some pitchforks and torches, gather the villagers, and walk them to Klinsy’s house.
We know Benny isn’t getting a callup because JK has something against him it seems. Mix was poor in the Gold Cup and hasn’t been playing well for his club. I’d give someone else a look in these friendlies. I’d like to see Lletget and/or Finlay.
B-B-B-Benny or Lleget
I started singing that too.
+1
add Lleget, and Benny, and Hamid
Hamid is hurt,
Rumors of Bradley/Altidore staying with Toronto for at least the Peru game have been floating for days at this point. I wouldn’t expect to see either of them against Peru which means we might see a few changes between games…
if they get passes then why not Jones or Wondo? They have MLS games the day after the USA-PER game too…
Finlay, Lletget, Wooten, Wood, Lichaj, Feilhaber, Williams…might even start them all
Lletget, Wooten, hamid, shipp, lichaj, finlay… Should all unquestionably be called in
who do they replace? need to provide that as well.
Unquestionably is a pretty strong word. I don’t think Wooten, Shipp, or Lichaj should “unquestionably” be called in.
Lletget could possibly help us now at outside mid, but Zardes and Bedoya weren’t our worst performers in the Gold Cup.
I’d say the only players who should “unquestionably” be called in are Cameron (who has ben playing CB @ Stoke) and Feilhaber because they fill a need and are in great form.
He should call Sebastian Lletget
I heard that the LAG are off that day so I would expect Lletget to get the call along with Gonzo, Zardas and even Gordon. I have to think that MLS teams in the playoff hunt aren’t going to be willing to part with their stars.
Maybe JK has to go with Benny because KC is so far up the table that they might actually part with him for a week.
I hope Gordon is done with the National Team. I like the guy, but the ‘hoof it to Gordon’ strategy didn’t work when we needed it, and he’s not young enough to contribute long-term.
Honestly, despite the 2 stupid errors that led to goals, I think subbing in Gordon in the 70-something minute cost us the Jamaica game by disrupting our flow.
Sorry, I must have missed that flow. The game I watched (or pretty much the entirety of the goal cup) didn’t have a flow. Regardless if we used the hoof it to Gordon strategy, or a different strategy altogether.
We really think Alvarado gets dropped? Unless he is he injured, I don’t see that happening. Especially, in a game against Mexico.
maybe just for this game? but he;s actually playing while JAB is now riding the bench and only getting 10 or less minutes a game.
When he did come in, it was at striker I believe
Charlie Davies. Sebastian Lletget. Jordan Morris.
Is Morris healthy. I thought he had some sort of surgery after the Toulon tournament.
I read somewhere that he was training with his college team again.
I heard something similar, but I have no source as verification. If he is just getting back to fitness, he is unlikely to be called in.
My choices, for the moment, with some room for adjustment.
Goalkeepers: Guzan, Howard, Johnson
Defenders: Lichaj, Gonzo, Brooks, Garza, Cameron, Chandler, Yedlin, Ream
Midfielders: Zardes, Mix, Lletget, Bradley, Jones, Williams, Bedoya, Feilhaber
Forwards: Jozy, Bacon, Wood, Wooten
Possible replacements (depending on current health and playing time): Morris, Gyau, Gatt, Green, Boyd, Agudelo, Corona, Orozco, McCarty, Spector, Shea, Alvarado, Beasley, Besler, Morales
Injuries: Dempsey and FJ