Featured, FIFA, June 2015, USMNT

Gold Cup Roster Roundtable: Midfielders and Forwards

Who joins Michael Bradley at the Gold Cup?

Who joins Michael Bradley at the Gold Cup?

As promised, the conclusion of a Gold Cup roster roundtable we began in May.

Here is the link to Part One, keepers and defenders.

This time, we have a provisional roster that further frames our discussion. Note that much of this was written prior to the release of the provisional roster, and the purpose of the roundtable was to discuss both who we felt Jurgen Klinsmann would take as well as who we felt warranted inclusion. As such, there are names in our discussion who didn’t end up on the provisional roster.

If you haven’t seen the provisional roster because you’ve been too immersed in one (or all) of the four international tournaments going on right now in addition to your regiment of NASL and MLS– here it is:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), William Yarbrough (Club Leon)

Defenders: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), Brek Shea (Orlando City SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Perry Kitchen (D.C. United), Alfredo Morales (FC Ingolstadt), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Jordan Morris (Stanford University), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

And here again are the introductions for TYAC roster roundtable:

Jon Levy is Co-Founder and Co-Editor of The Yanks Are Coming. He’s the author of more US Soccer gameday previews than just about anyone in US Soccer, co-founding a site that hasn’t missed a gameday preview in six years. Follow Jon on Twitter at @TYAC_Jon.

Neil W. Blackmon is Co-Founder and Co-Editor of The Yanks Are Coming. His writing appears here and has appeared at The Shin Guardian, World Soccer Talk and A Football Report, among other publications. Follow him on Twitter at @nwblackmon.

Jay Bell is a journalist based in Arkansas whose soccer writing has appeared in The Yanks Are Coming, The Shin Guardian and other publications and who has been a mainstay of soccer Twitter for several seasons. Follow him on Twitter at @jaybellhs.

Andrew Marcinko is a soccer writer out of Orlando. He covers Orlando City for The Mane Land, founded the now-defunct Footy America and has written for The Yanks Are Coming and MLS.COM among others. 

Feilhaber earned a call he won't get.

Feilhaber earned a call he won’t get.

Let’s move on to midfielders:

Neil: 

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Joe Corona (Tijuana), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United), Alfredo Morales (FC Ingolstadt)
I’m not breaking it down wing and center because there’s no need- we can just explain it. 
 
I think this is a reasonably easy group to defend, although it is easy to see Geoff Cameron as a guy they add for the knockout stages, given his positional flexibility, which Jay noted. I do wonder how much damage Klinsmann’s position tinker did for Cameron’s club situation- but that’s for a different time. And I still think he’s best as a CB internationally, because he lacks the footspeed in the middle and is probably a little too limited attacking on the right. 
Here’s the deal with the rest of this group: I think Jurgen would like to move on from Beckerman but probably can’t yet. Morales has played great for his club and helped them get promoted. He hasn’t impressed much in a US shirt, but he’s the guy I’d pick over Zusi, who hasn’t really been in the fold since Brazil, or Danny Williams, who hasn’t really played well for the US against any team that isn’t a small island country in the Caribbean.
Ibarra is here because the US needs a genuine wing option and he’s really the only one along with Corona. Bedoya is the starter in one wide spot, but he’s more a tweener than anything else. Diskerud’s position and his defense are still question marks at every level- but when he plays for the US good things happen even if his performances aren’t always complete. 
I don’t think Lee Nguyen gets in and I think his lack of minutes recently in the friendlies are telling. There is always one surprise from Klinsmann– Julian Green might be that surprise, but  or it should be Benny Feilhaber, who has been absolutely brilliant for Sporting Kansas City, has proven he can play at the international level and would give the US a creative piece laterally to Michael Bradley they have been missing. 
Sacha Kljestan has nearly played his way back into the fold too, but he won’t be called.
Michael Bradley is the captain.
Editor’s Note: Benny Feilhaber’s exclusion from the provisional roster needs to be explained. Read this piece by Kris Heneage for more.
Fabian Johnson is the best wide player the US have. He'll be at the Gold Cup.

Fabian Johnson is the best wide player the US have. He’ll be at the Gold Cup.

Andrew: Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach) Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Alfredo Morales (FC Ingolstadt) Julian Green (Hamburger SV), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United)

It’s a light midfield, although while Shea and Yedlin will be listed as fullbacks, both would be just as comfortable playing on the wing if needed.

Joe Corona, Lee Nguyen, and Perry Kitchen just miss the cut here. They’re three players I like a lot, but I just don’t think there’s a spot for them right now. For each of them, there’s a player already on the roster that plays the same role but just a little bit better than they do (Beckerman > Kitchen; Bedoya > Corona; Mix > Nguyen). Ibarra makes the team here on the assumption that Klinsmann doesn’t bring Gyasi Zardes as a forward.

I think Johnson, Bedoya, and Bradley are definitely starters, and Diskerud, Beckerman, and Morales will fight it out for the other spot in the middle. Against weaker opponents in the group stage, Diskerud should get the nod, as he’s paired well with Bradley when neither is overwhelmed with defensive duties. It would be great to see a breakout tournament from Julian Green, but I’d settle for Michael Bradley playing like 2013 MB90 again.

Neil: I think Bedoya covering for Shea is a splendid idea– akin to the Johnson and Yedlin side we’ve hoped for– keeps the more technical player on his preferred foot and frees the more audacious player up to take risk. That’s usually winning soccer. Morales is a guy I picked just because Klinsmann seems to want to give him reps. I don’t think he’s earned them in a US shirt.

Jay: 

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Jermaine Jones (New England Revolution), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Fabian Johnson(Borussia Monchengladbach), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Miguel Ibarra (Minnesota United), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana).
We can all hope the Jermaine Jones experiment at centerback is over. Klinsmann hoped the transition would work to keep Jones in the USMNT fold longer, but it’s just not his strength. This may be the last tournament in which Beckerman is a factor for the US, but he and Jones give Klinsmann flexibility in the midfield. Bradley, Bedoya and Johnson are in the best form of Klinsmann’s midfielders at the moment. Mix provides an attacking option, while Ibarra and Corona can sub in out wide.
I am concerned that Corona will be the next Jose Torres for Klinsmann. He always wanted Torres to be a No. 10 and Corona never seems to be exactly what Klinsmann wants. This could be his last chance too. It should be a moot point though because anyone else would have worked Kljestan, Nguyen and Feilhaber into the rotation some time ago, but Klinsmann and reasons and challenges or whatever this week’s explanation is.
Both Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies warranted discussion for a Gold Cup slot, our panel says.

Both Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies warranted discussion for a Gold Cup slot, our panel says.

Jon Levy on Forwards: 

Forwards: Aronjo (AZ), Juan Agudelo (NE Revolution), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

My forward selections are based on the assumption that Jozy Altidore won’t be ready to go at the tournament’s outset.

Thankfully we can add him to the roster after the group stage if all goes well for him and the team. As for the selections above, Aron “The Iceman”/”Aronjo” is a no brainer. He’s the American forward playing and scoring most consistently on the highest level (for AZ in the Netherlands). He’s also particularly hot right now, so assuming he gels well with the boys in his first real national team camp for some time, I expect him to start for this team. And since we very well could see a 4-4-2 to start the tourney, rejuvenated Juan “You Know What It Isssssss” Agudeloagudeloagudelo might just start up top with him.

I’m making a point of including Julian Green on my squad as a forward rather than a mid as he’s often listed, because I want to see his skill in the final third. I’m much more interested in that than finding out how well he keeps possession. You may find my reasoning reductive, but this kid needs a summer of playing time and offensive opportunities if he’s going to grow into the player he could be. You could easily see Green out of the summer tournaments if he’s more concerned with club PT at Bayern Munich and/or avoiding a bad loan situation like last autumn. We’ll see.

I don’t need to write anything about Dempsey right? Attacking mid or forward, it’s all good, just make sure he’s on the field.

As for young Master Zardes, let’s just label his spot on this squad “provisional young guy.” Most of us are still Zardes skeptics here at TYAC, though his energy and will to be involved in the attack are undeniable. Still, if Rubio Rubin has a great U20 World Cup, or if Jordan Morris tears it up in the knockout stages in Toulon, pencil that name in instead of Gyasi Zardes.

Jay Bell:

Forwards: Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Jóhannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Charlie Davies (New England Revolution).

My forward selections are based on the assumption that Jozy will be ready for the tournament.  And with what we know about Klinsmann, he’d likely take Altidore whether he’s ready or not.  Jozy, Deuce and the Iceman are the cream of the crop for USMNT attackers at the moment.  Hopefully at least two of the three will be healthy.
I’m going with Charlie Davies for the fourth spot.  I’m not a believer that the last roster spot or last forward should be a throwaway pick.  So I would not be a fan of gifting a place to Julian Green again or calling up Rubin for the tournament.  It’s not just that Chuck Deezy is scoring goals again, but it’s the quality of the goals he’s scoring.  I think either he or Agudelo would complement the current roster based on their form and past experiences.
My big criticism last year was Jurgen had no backup plan for Jozy’s injury even though Eddie Johnson and Terence Boyd were healthy and available.  There’s no suitable replacement this year and someone with the best form and chemistry should be selected.  With Klinsmann as manager, that’s almost guaranteed not to happen.
I expect a decision most people won’t agree with like Wondolowski, Green, Rubin, Wood, etc.  People will disagree with it because of form or past performances, but Klinsmann could not care less.
Neil: Dempsey, Johannsson, Altidore, Wondolowski, Agudelo.
If it is just about form like Klinsmann (sometimes) suggests Agudelo belongs and Zardes almost certainly does not, having labored in the absence of the injured Robbie Keane and the retired Landon Donovan. Zardes lacks good technique and is too much a long-term project to be included on a roster that is about winning a tournament now. Still, he’s a Jurgen project and his club PT isn’t in doubt so I’d imagine he’s going to be on this roster. Bobby Wood is a guy I like way more than Zardes, but I’m in a crowded room of like two to three American sportswriters who actually like him, so I don’t expect much agreement with me on that guy.
Wondolowski finds ways to score goals. You’ll say Belgium and I’ll say “Fine”, but is there another player in the pool you’d rather sub in late in a match with Mexico to find a winner? Really?
Written by: Jon Levy on June 14, 2015.
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