First we can start with the future of the our four starting defenders. It's bright. What once was a massive question mark, Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has turned the tables to make it a strength. I am most excited for our wing backs. Barring injury, which everything in something like this is predicated on, the wing backs that I would start consistently would be twenty one year old Timothy Chandler who plays for Nuremburg in Germany at right back and twenty five year old Fabian Johnson to play at left back. Johnson also plays in Germany for the club Hoffenheim. Both of these players share the German connection with Klinsmann, as both players had to have a change of association with FIFA to play for the United States. It's good they chose the US because they are both phenomenal players. Chandler and Johnson have shown signs of their ability to attack as well as being solid defenders. They provide another dimension to this team being able to fly down the wings getting crosses into the box. This leaves the center backs whom are equally as promising. My ideal starting center backs are Geoff Cameron from Stoke City in the English Premier League and Omar Gonzalez from the LA Galaxy. Gonzalez and Cameron have shown composure and skill in big games. Gonzalez was paired with Sporting KC Defender Matt Besler in an extremely challenging and important World Cup Qualifier in hostile Stadio Azteca against Mexico. And held them scoreless. Let's not forget both Cameron and Johnson helped anchor the back line in Azteca in August of 2012 where the US won 1-0. Again the key is that Mexico was held scoreless. Look for Chandler, Johnson, Cameron, and Gonzalez to play in essential games going forward.
My preferred formation is a 4-5-1. We have gone over the ideal back four, so now here are the ideal starting five midfielders. Playing a triangle with the point as the attacking midfielder, the three center midfielders would be as follows: Michael Bradley, Danny Williams, and Clint Dempsey. I am a huge fan of Michael Bradley. He can do it all. He has scored and been a threat offensively, yet can grind it out and be a beast on the defensive end as well. And both at an exceptional level. Danny Williams is another defensive midfielder who can facilitate and keep possession as well. Clint Dempsey is a no-brainer. He is one of our most creative players and to be honest is the only player that consistently scores. He has to be in the lineup due to this consistent scoring, and he won't have too many defensive responsibilities in the attacking midfield role. For the wing midfielders, I would like to think that Sporting KC (United States) Midfielder Graham Zusi has the right side of the midfield locked up. He is my choice going forward in that position. On the left side is one of my favorite players in the US system, Jose Torres. He is very technical, very creative yet sometimes gets lost in the middle of the field. If put on the wing, he can provide excellent service in to the box for our forwards and midfielders to get on the end of. As we reflect on the midfield, I have Bradley, Williams, and Dempsey as the three center midfielders with Torres and Zusi on the flanks.
The forward position is one that I struggle with as a fan. No one player has truly distanced himself from the rest of the competition. Whoever starts is reliant upon, in my mind, the match-up, the game plan, and the formation. The three forwards in rotation would be Jozy Altidore from AZ Alkmaar (The Netherlands), Eddie Johnson from Seattle Sounders FC (United States), and Herculez Gomez from Santos (Mexico). As I mentioned before, the majority of scoring comes from Dempsey, who plays midfield. Until one of these three can consistently produce for the National Team in terms of goals, then I would rotate them based on match-up, game plan, and fit in a given formation. I would label Altidore as a holding forward, Johnson as a speedy forward, and Gomez as the workhorse. Naturally in the 4-5-1 Altidore would be the fit as a holding striker, which, since that's the formation I prefer, that's who would start for me.
Goalkeeping is simple for this team. When Howard is healthy, its Howard. When not, its Guzan. Guzan is a very capable back-up. Not much debate there. Guzan has been in great form in recent matches and has played well in massive World Cup Qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico so even while Howard is out, goalkeeping will continue to be a strong suit for this team going forward.
Notable back-ups. Beginning with the defense once more. A revival of the career of DaMarcus Beasley has been a welcome sign. While capable, as shown in recent performances, I would prefer Fabian Johnson at the left back spot, however if Beasley remains in form, then it would help the peace of mind for Jurgen to have a solid player to fall back on as Johnson has unfortunately suffered a couple injuries throughout the Klinsmann era. Another couple of back-ups that have proven their worth in the past few games are Matt Besler, who played phenomenal against Mexico, and Clarence Goodson, who played well in the blizzard that was the Costa Rica game, who I see as the . An up and coming winger is Brek Shea who recently transferred to Stoke City (England). I think expectations skyrocketed, and maybe rightfully so, at the dawn of the Klinsmann era. I like him as a substitute to Torres because of these expectations. It's a lot to start while under the scrutiny of thousands of fans. If he can get settled into Stoke's regular lineup and matures just a little more, he can potentially grow into a starter. Another one of my favorite players is Benny Feilhaber. I would love to see him get back in the mix as a midfielder, but seeing as the midfield is stacked, he may fit as a suitable back up for now. But he certainly has the skill to become a seasoned starter as I hope he eventually does.
So there it is. My dream US lineup as of now. You are all welcome (especially you Mike) for my fountain of wisdom regarding the Men's National Team. Feel free to comment with your dream lineups as you read, I will be VERY interested to hear what other fans think. I hope everyone enjoys this bonus article.
NEXT POST PREVIEW: MLB Season
The forward position is one that I struggle with as a fan. No one player has truly distanced himself from the rest of the competition. Whoever starts is reliant upon, in my mind, the match-up, the game plan, and the formation. The three forwards in rotation would be Jozy Altidore from AZ Alkmaar (The Netherlands), Eddie Johnson from Seattle Sounders FC (United States), and Herculez Gomez from Santos (Mexico). As I mentioned before, the majority of scoring comes from Dempsey, who plays midfield. Until one of these three can consistently produce for the National Team in terms of goals, then I would rotate them based on match-up, game plan, and fit in a given formation. I would label Altidore as a holding forward, Johnson as a speedy forward, and Gomez as the workhorse. Naturally in the 4-5-1 Altidore would be the fit as a holding striker, which, since that's the formation I prefer, that's who would start for me.
Goalkeeping is simple for this team. When Howard is healthy, its Howard. When not, its Guzan. Guzan is a very capable back-up. Not much debate there. Guzan has been in great form in recent matches and has played well in massive World Cup Qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico so even while Howard is out, goalkeeping will continue to be a strong suit for this team going forward.
Notable back-ups. Beginning with the defense once more. A revival of the career of DaMarcus Beasley has been a welcome sign. While capable, as shown in recent performances, I would prefer Fabian Johnson at the left back spot, however if Beasley remains in form, then it would help the peace of mind for Jurgen to have a solid player to fall back on as Johnson has unfortunately suffered a couple injuries throughout the Klinsmann era. Another couple of back-ups that have proven their worth in the past few games are Matt Besler, who played phenomenal against Mexico, and Clarence Goodson, who played well in the blizzard that was the Costa Rica game, who I see as the . An up and coming winger is Brek Shea who recently transferred to Stoke City (England). I think expectations skyrocketed, and maybe rightfully so, at the dawn of the Klinsmann era. I like him as a substitute to Torres because of these expectations. It's a lot to start while under the scrutiny of thousands of fans. If he can get settled into Stoke's regular lineup and matures just a little more, he can potentially grow into a starter. Another one of my favorite players is Benny Feilhaber. I would love to see him get back in the mix as a midfielder, but seeing as the midfield is stacked, he may fit as a suitable back up for now. But he certainly has the skill to become a seasoned starter as I hope he eventually does.
So there it is. My dream US lineup as of now. You are all welcome (especially you Mike) for my fountain of wisdom regarding the Men's National Team. Feel free to comment with your dream lineups as you read, I will be VERY interested to hear what other fans think. I hope everyone enjoys this bonus article.
NEXT POST PREVIEW: MLB Season
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