It’s time for Jurgen Klinsmann to expand the core he trusts.
Kyle Bonn
The dust has settled on the United States loss to Jamaica in the semifinals of the 2015 Gold Cup, and while opinions differ wildly on the future of Jurgen Klinsmann as the long-term answer to the federation’s leadership questions, there is one thing that remains indisputable. The United States still does not know it’s best 11 players, and we aren’t close to finding that out.
In the period immediately following a World Cup, there will always be a significant amount of flux. Yet a full year removed from Brazil 2014, we are no closer to knowing the best USMNT squad moving forward into the young cycle than we were the day the team was eliminated by Belgium.
The defensive line took a generous helping of flak throughout the Gold Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann insisted on starting Ventura Alvarado on a consistent basis, and he rewarded his national team manager by putting in some pretty abysmal performances. John Brooks, who continues to progress as a player on a more consistent basis, was admittedly below his standards.
Ventura Alvarado has immense technical talent, but it isn’t refined enough at this point. (Photo, Lasse Schone)
The best central defensive pairing in the Gold Cup seemed to be 26-year-old Omar Gonzalez and his 27-year-old partner Tim Ream, who exited the tournament with three combined appearances. Matt Besler, the defensive leader in the World Cup and in his prime at 28 years old, was left off the roster, as were Michael Orozco, who was been dependable for Klinsmann since the manager took over the side, and DC United stalwart Steve Birnbaum. The young U-20 pair of Matt Miazga and Cameron Carter-Vickers should get looks soon after impressing mightily in New Zealand. But who is the best pairing? That’s difficult to say at this point.
At fullback, Klinsmann insisted on starting Timmy Chandler despite clear deficiencies until an injury forced him to the bench. DeAndre Yedlin began to show signs of improvement in his all-around game, only to see Klinsmann experiment with him in the midfield. He has since taken a step back in his defensive development. Brad Evans was a solid replacement but is 30 years old, and both DaMarcus Beasley and Brad Davis are 33. Fabian Johnson seems to be the only true fixture at fullback at the moment, and even that creates problems, as his selection as a first-team fullback means the US playing their best wide player in the back rather than in the midfield.
And let’s not forget Geoff Cameron, who wants to play in the middle but has often deputized on the edge of the back line. He was set to feature regularly for the US until Stoke City asked them to let him rest and recover from injury – only to play him a full 90 minutes against Everton in a friendly in Singapore on July 15.
In the midfield, Michael Bradley is a must, but who else should be involved? Kyle Beckerman proved against Jamaica – possibly his worst performance ever in a United States shirt – that at 33 years old, the gig is probably up, at least against fast and athletic sides. His inclusion long-term also seems foolhardy- he certainly won’t be involved in three years for a World Cup. Why delay the inevitable? Perry Kitchen, the most likely replacement at the defensive midfield position, was left off the roster entirely. Maurice Edu, who has played well for the national team as a true six in the past, hasn’t seen national team action since early in Klinsmann’s tenure.
If the US are to improve, players like Gyasi Zardes have to continue to show improvement and become consistent.
Alejandro Bedoya showed during the Gold Cup that he is a very solid option, but his all-out style rarely translates into a full 90 minutes. Since the beginning of 2014, Bedoya has made 16 starts for the USMNT and completed a full 90 minutes in only three of them. Mix Diskerud shows flashes of talent moving forward but it’s hard to figure out exactly what position brings out the best in him, while Graham Zusi seems to have been phased out of the picture for now. Gyasi Zardes is developing slowly but seems to struggle out wide, a position some – including Klinsmann – still believe he is better suited for than a striker role.
Joe Corona was relatively impressive in his one substitute appearance against Cuba, but that was his first competitive start for the team since the 2013 Gold Cup where he featured regularly. Danny Williams looked revived in the European friendlies only to be promptly dropped for the Gold Cup. Some say the Benny Feilhaber ship has sailed despite an obvious need for exactly his type of player. Young players like Wil Trapp and Emerson Hyndman will likely force Klinsmann to consider them in the coming year or two. Alfredo Morales was horrific in the Gold Cup group stage, and outside of covering ground, has offered little in a US shirt, yet he continues to get looks. Lee Nguyen has been in the picture recently, but rarely plays when called into camps. Klinsmann has cast a wide net, but settled on little.
Obviously, there are countless other players who could become additions to the roster over the next couple years that weren’t mentioned here. The idea was to give a comprehensive look at just how out of sync things appear to be at the current time.
Breathe, folks. Let’s take five, there’s a long way to go. Grab a coffee or a snack…
Back and dug in? Let’s keep plugging away.
Even if Dempsey is a factor in 2018, the days when the US can count on him to carry the scoring load at a tournament are numbered.
Up front, Jozy Altidore was often the second name on every US teamsheet behind Michael Bradley, until the Gold Cup group stage where shaky performances and fitness questions sent him home. Aron Johannsson has emerged as an electric option up front and offers technical quality the player pool lacks at the position, but his finishing has been subpar and he’s produced a few bad misses of late. Clint Dempsey was prolific, with seven goals during the Gold Cup, but the veteran is 32 years old and is often forced to move between positions to accommodate others on the field. Jordan Morris has impressed in limited time but is young, in college, and currently injured. Chris Wondolowski’s usefulness has just about run dry. Juan Agudelo and Julian Green have failed to make use of their limited action despite a high billing. Rubio Rubin is 19. Alan Gordon is 33. Bobby Wood is talented but young and lacks a stable club situation and environment needed to reduce inconsistencies in his game. Answers are needed here. Even if Dempsey is a factor in 2018, the days where the US can count on him to carry the scoring load at a tournament are numbered.
The goalkeeper situation seemed straightforward until just a few days ago when Tim Howard announced he wished to return to the fold despite taking a year off from international duty and regressing mightily with Everton last season behind a shaky Toffees defensive line. Brad Guzan was in fine form until flopping against Jamaica. Nick Rimando is 36. William Yarbrough isn’t even tied to the United States yet after Klinsmann elected to sit him in the final – meaningless – group stage game. Bill Hamid continues to get passed over despite impressing in MLS consistently, as does Cody Cropper in England. Young Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono got a look in camp, and could be in the mix in a few years. Sean Johnson has 45 minutes of action this year. Zack Steffen shined at the U20 World Cup, but is an infant by goalkeeper standards and is now on a Freiburg side hoping to get back into the German first division.
There are more questions now than there were going into Brazil, and even that was a tumultuous squad.
The future of the national team is out-of-joint. Jurgen Klinsmann has a small core, but beyond that it’s impossible to sort through the thick fog that has fallen over the federation.
Before Klinsmann can organize the squad disarray, he must figure out his priorities. Older players like DaMarcus Beasley, Brad Evans, and Alan Gordon were brought into the Gold Cup despite being almost certainly out of the picture for the 2018 World Cup. Younger players like Zardes and Alvarado have been forced into minutes even as they appear to stumble through parts of their development. Other young players get looks, impress, then inexplicably disappear from the mix.
Is Klinsmann looking to win competitive tournaments now or build for the future? He often says he is doing both, which is fine, but typically you do one in friendlies and the other at tournaments. If he was looking to win now, would he have stuck with a young central defensive partnership throughout the Gold Cup? If he were looking to build for the future, would he continue to give roster spots to aging veterans of the past? Obviously a balance must be struck, but there seems to be no decisive direction.
For the German coach to be a successful long-term option, decisions must be made, dead weight must be cut, and reliable players must be found. The pool doesn’t provide a steady stream of top-level talent like some European or South American countries, but this country has progressed as a soccer nation past the point of that being an excuse. The expectations have evolved into a steady desire for consistent results, and after the discombobulated Gold Cup showing, those do not appear to be any closer.
Experimentation is fine at the national level, and often necessary. But at some point, the continuous fluidity must be concluded in favor of a more continuous approach. At the moment Klinsmann seems to be heading in the opposite direction of that goal.
Kyle Bonn writes for NBC Sports and is a contributing writer for The Yanks Are Coming. He can be reached at thebonnfire