Ahead of an upcoming friendly with Ecuador, Jurgen Klinsmann has added some defensive depth as Fabian Johnson continues to recover from his injury issues.
Klinsmann called in FC Dallas defender Kellyn Acosta for this Wednesday’s friendly against Ecuador in Frisco, Texas. Acosta’s call up adds further depth to the fullback position while Timmy Chandler wraps up his club season with Frankfurt in Monday’s relegation playoff.
Acota was listed as a part of the USMNT’s 40-man preliminary roster for the Copa America, but was not named to the final 23-man squad.
Entering camp, Johnson is regarded as the USMNT’s likely starting left back. However, the Borussia Monchengladbach star is currently battling a groin injury that kept him out of the German club’s starting lineup since April 15. Johnson did not play in Sunday’s friendly win over Puerto Rico as Tim Ream started and scored a goal in the 3-1 win.
Acosta could make his third senior appearance in Wednesday’s match after making his USMNT debut during the team’s annual January camp.
What do you think of the Acosta call-up? Any concerns? What do you expect from Wednesday’s friendly?
Share your thoughts below.
Against Ecuador I say keep it simple. If they just got done playing for their team in Europe this last week or haven’t been healthy recently, just let them train this week and get them some match minutes against Bolivia (Fabian, Chandler, Cameron, Pulisic)
Wood
Dempsey
Nagbe MB Bedoya
Jones
Orozco Besler Brooks Yedlin
Guzan
I’d use Zardes, Kitchen, and maybe Birnbaum (to spell Brooks if he’s still not 100%) as subs.
It’s easy to overlook that it’s a local exhibition for the kid. He should absolutely not make a competitive roster over Ream or Lichaj. I’ll reserve my outrage for when Klinsmann makes that call, or another like it, which he inevitably soon will.
Fabian Johnson is our left back this summer. Like it or not.
I do. He and Yedlin will get forward, they are the only ones who can do this at a really high level right now. Our central defenders will therefore need to have big tournaments, and our midfield will get scrunched centrally but that is how they all like to play anyways.
I posted the lineup below in another article but a little late so reposting. To me it is clearly going to be this, which I think it is as good as we got and most of all allows us to play the modern game. People calling for Ream and Lichaj are living in the ’90s.
Our midfield is dynamic and full of interchangeable parts – all the wingers are basically converted attacking midfielders. And vice versa Jones played the entire WC out on the left wing but naturally he was all over the field.
Wood (Zardes)
Dempsey
Bedoya (Pulisic) – Jones – Bradley – Nagbe (Zusi)
Johnson – Besler / Brooks / Cameron – Yedlin
I’m praising the coach because I think he picked a good team, with a clear attacking strategy. Every single thing in the press is critical but I can fortunately think for myself and I just don’t see how we can field a better squad than this.
Agreed, JK did a good job picking the best players available. And your lineup is almost certainly what we will see, and what we should see. I think our squad is lacking in offensive creativity compared to the teams we will face, but that isn’t a new problem and it isn’t anything that can be fixed in the short term. On a good day we should be able to hang with anyone not named Brazil or Argentina, and on a bad day we could be beaten by anyone we will face in the Copa. And we are so thin in some crucial positions, I mean if Fabian isn’t 100% we will be in big trouble. I also think Wondo will see some action, and unlike most posters I think he deserves it and will make the most of it.
If only we could rely on JK to stick with something so simple…
Agree. Hope we see that lineup. I’m excited to see Pulisic and Nagbe get their chances because of their creativity, but I suppose Bedoya and Zusi provide more defense. It will be interesting to see what balance we try to strike there.
alot of teams play with traditional holding left and right backs because their midfield is strong, the wing play is dynamic and can maintain possession and are creative so in essence they don’t need their outside backs bombing forward. We have multiple issues on this front which is why i dont see the advantage of having our most creative and technical player(Fabian) on the backline. We don’t maintain enough of the ball to take advantage of Fabian getting forward because when we lose it, he will be caught up field putting the rest of the defense in a precarious situation. I’m of the mindset that your best offensive player should be closer to goal because you win by scoring goals. We’ll see how it works because it looks as if that’s the way we’re going about it but who knows, maybe JK will pull a rabbit out of the hat and fool everyone with a formation that we can all live with and get excited about.
Fabian can cross well. Yedlin’s not there yet (his cross in the comeback 3-2 win v. Chelsea notwithstanding).
Acosta is an atrocious LB. He was by far the worst player at the recent youth tournaments. I want to throw my hands in the air at this point.
Not surprising given he is not a LB.
We need Brek Shea to get better. He looked promising for a while until he got injured last year.
He is only 20 and can still learn the LB position. He is a DM so he has some defensive knowledge and it gives them more going forward offensively than someone like Ream. Villafana is apparently on JK’s radar for later this year, maybe friendlies before WC qualifiers, I am assuming they will have one or two. Acosta probably wont even play and if he does it will most likely be a sub appearance. I don’t see a problem with the call up, was there better options yes but what can you do. He is young and has a lot of talent.
There will not be any friendlies between the Copa and the final two qualifiers at St. V&G and home for TnT. There is a set in early October (I believe this will be the European trip) before the hexagonal would begin in November.
Not looking forward to seeing Valencia running at Accosta, but he is 30 now so maybe it will be ok.
I, for one, think Ream has done ok when asked to play leftback for us. Yes I think he will be beaten for speed against teams as good as Colombia, but so will everyone else not named Fabian. Acosta and Lichaj may be faster than Ream, but for me, they lack his intelligence and positioning which can make up for some of the issues. I don’t think he’s an ideal fit for the A team starting 11, but I would prefer him as a backup as opposed to the other two. And why can’t we find any leftbacks? Are there any rightback options that could be switched over?
Chandler hobbles off in the 68th minute today. Didn’t need on pitch treatment, but ominous none the less.
With no healthy left back how about 3-5-2
——–Wood—Dempsey———
————-Bedoya—————–
Zardes———————–Yedlin
————Jones-Bradley———
–Besler-Cameron-Birnabaum–
————-Guzan——————
I don’t have the same line-up, but I have been arguing for a switch based on our personnel for a long time.
Sounds like Chandler is fine bye bye 3-5-2, back to the bad old 4-4-2 diamond. Yippy.
was it just me or did we switch to a 3 man back line at the end of the Puerto Rico scrimmage on Sunday?? I’m a big fan of it and think it would suit our team considering the depth we have in midfield, potentially allowing for more possession because of that extra body in the middle.
Regarding your lineup i would actually put Cameron in midfield next to MB90, put JAB in the center with Besler and Birnbaum on left and right of him, and sorry to say it, put JJ as the no.10
Wood———-Dempsey
JJ
Johnson Yedlin
Cameron———MB90
Besler———–JAB————Birnbaum
Ronnie: Wahl said that from the sideline, but I am not sure it was very different from earlier in the game. We still had Lichaj (in for Ream) Miazga, Orozco, and Yedlin, so I am assuming he was saying Yedlin had moved into midfield, but I am not sure how that is different from where he had been all game since PR wasn’t pressuring his side at all.
Bring back Fankie!
He’s average at best as a full back. His best position is D-Mid.
DM is pretty crowded for the US, its too bad that he can’t get Dallas to play him at LB, but with Maynor Figueroa and his 6+ years in EPL at LB that seems unlikely this year.
Acosta is arguably better then beckerman right now and obviously at 20 years old is way more of a prospect for the DM position. That is where he should be getting looks for the USMNT and represents the current best young prospect for that position.
He doesn’t even start for Dallas anymore, hard to argue that he is better at the full international level than Beckerman. Even if you take Kyle out he’s behind Williams, Kitchen, and Morales. Among younger DMs he hasn’t shown to be stronger than Trapp and Canouse was rated higher than him until injury cause him to miss the U20 WC.
I agree, he might have been the worst player in the U23 matches. Colombia targeted him over and over again.
the LB position – issue since..forever.. – so Castillo, Villafana, Lichaj, Ream, Tierney, Shea, etc all not good enough. now Fabian Johnson is not healthy so we have Acosta or Chandler..
Odd it wasn’t Lichaj or Ream, but maybe they had already left town. The game is in Dallas, so it makes sense that Accosta could be on the field Wed. and still play with his MLS squad. Castillo is still in the Liga MX playoffs as well.
Ream is not an international left back.
–Yes, I’m aware Ream scored a goal (off subpar goalkeeping and horrible defense). Had a counter taken place or we faced better competition our centerback would have been exposed because Ream couldn’t outrun a cold.
–Yes, I’m aware he played left back for Bolton (and I think Fulham now?). These are two different animals entirely. (see everyone’s favorite back-up quarterback: Sasha Kljestan)
Ream’s objective is defending, first and foremost. In watching the match, Ream tripped over his own feet a couple times, played in horrible volleys and was the weakest link on the back line against a Puerto Rican side. In terms of attacking, Ream was completely incapable of being any viable threat down the flanks.
Frankly, I’d like to see him more at center back at this level, but even then, he runs like he’s in water or sand. Additionally, I’d rather see Eric Lichaj get some more reps at the left back position over Ream.
Don’t mistake this for hyperbole, because I think Ream is extremely solid at the club level, but he’s not an international left back and he’s proven that from every single match I’ve watched him play at this level.
Not disagreeing with your evaluation of Ream but did you see Accosta in the two games against Colombia U23s?
I could not agree with you more. I thought Ream looked terrible! There were two plays in a row where I thought that he had forgotten that he was the fullback and did not track back at all.
His goal was well taken – by the look of the ball hitting the side netting – I will take the commentator’s word for it that it was him that struck it.
But other than that, horrible.
we don’t have any international caliber backs so your point is taken but for a team that can’t keep possession and is always defending Ream is perfect. Everyone was slipping and falling yesterday, it was an atrocious pitch and even some of our midfielders(Williams, Morales) slipped in the box in our on half that could have resulted in a goal scoring opportunity. Acosta is average at best at defending as stated by JohnnyRazor so this call in is puzzling but what call ups havent been puzzling under this regime. Still don’t see the love affair with Chandler, who has looked far worst than Ream ever has but i guess since he plays in the Bundesliga(barely at that) he’s seen as more serviceable!
I’m sorry but this move again proves JK is unequipped to guide this program to the next level. How do you not have cover for a player that hasn’t played a single game in over a month due to injury, in a position that he should only be used for in a pinch?! You’re taking a player out of a position of need for the US and one that he was named Best XI for the season by most Bundesliga pundits, for a position that could have and should have been managed better if you were willing to give the proper players more of a chance
Ronniet: As I said Accosta makes sense because he is based in Dallas, and can easily join and leave to be with his club without losing time for travel. The coaches have seen Ream and Lichaj this week, who would seem to be the other choices, so why not look at Accosta these three days. Ream and Lichaj may even still be in camp and it just hasn’t been announced, several practice players were around before the Concacaf Cup.
Not disagreeing with your evaluation of Ream but did you see Accosta in the two games against Colombia U23s?
Briefly, but I wasn’t making an argument for Acosta. With that said I acknowledge your point – we’re still looking for options at the left back position. My assessment is: Ream brings the intellegence and understanding of how to read the game and Acosta brings the athleticism and not a lot more.
It’s like that old saying: You can teach the game, but you can’t teach speed. I guess we’re just picking the lesser of two evils. Which evil is, in fact, the lesser depends greatly on the perspective of the person.
I’d rather have a player make mistakes fast than have a cerebral player be too slow to react or act. Admittedly I’m a bit of a knucklehead myself so I always favor the athlete over the scholar.
Ream brings the
intellegenceintelligence.…like I said: I’m a knucklehead.
Ronnie: I’m also not sure who these Bundesliga Pundits were, but I haven’t seen anyone with him in the Bext XI for the season. That’s not a knock, Mkhitaryan, Ruess, and Costa are pretty darn good and then you’d have to put him somewhere around level to Coman and Bellarabi. Best 33, is still saying something in a top league.
Fast players do everything faster, including making mistakes. I would rather have a defender who has the soccer brain to defuse situations before they happen than one who can simply run fast to make up for errors in judgement.
That said some speed is required of outside backs, else they can be too easily beaten by a speedy wing.
Chandler is not a perfect back, but he is faster than Ream and, I think, more tactically aware than Acosta. Lichaj is probably the one I would prefer if Chandler is not available, he looked quicker than Ream and is more experienced than Acosta.
points taken but it’s still puzzling that there is no capable left backs(left footed) in camp now don’t you think?? I’m not soured on Acosta and i get the premise of bringing him in since the team is training and set to play in Dallas but it still shouldn’t have come to this in my opinion, this screams of unprepared and short on roster ideas by JK.
Here is the article amongst many others regarding Fabian, take it for what its worth: http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/05/11/best-left-mid-germany-fabian-johnson-earning-praise-strong-season
Ronnie: That’s the fan vote on the English side of Bundesliga.com, he did much worse on the German side 4th place among those four with like 4%. He’s a great player, like I said certainly top 10 wide midfielder in the Bundesliga, but not a best XI player.