It has not been a good year for the United States men’s national team. The Americans crashed out of the Gold Cup last summer in the semifinals against Jamaica, then were roundly outclassed by Mexico in the Confederations Cup playoff. In CONCACAF qualifying, a draw at Trinidad and Tobago followed by a loss at Guatemala put the USMNT at risk of failing even to reach the final round of regional qualifying, before a 4-0 win over Guatemala staved off catastrophe.
Fans of the USMNT certainly didn’t want to enter the U.S.-hosted Copa America Centenario on such a poor run. But with the kickoff match Friday against Colombia, probably the strongest side in the United States’ group, optimism seems to be resurfacing. And perhaps it is even justified.
The USMNT won its two warm-up friendlies against Ecuador and Bolivia by a combined score of 4-0. Friendlies are friendlies, of course, and both Ecuador and Bolivia appeared to be playing short of full speed to preserve fitness for the tournament. But it is notable that U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann seems to have once again reshuffled his squad, and this time he may have dealt it a good hand. A comparison of minutes played between competitive fixtures from the past year and the two warm-up friendlies shows that a new group of players seems to be getting minutes.
The only players who have been locked in for minutes over the past year are veterans Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey. But now, with the Copa beckoning, four others with impressive resumes have joined them, playing 75 percent or more of the available minutes against Ecuador and Bolivia. Center back John Brooks, coming off a strong season with Hertha Berlin, looks set to be flanked in defense by outside backs DeAndre Yedlin — who helped Sunderland survive a relegation battle in the EPL — and Fabian Johnson, who was a regular for Champions League qualifiers Borussia Monchengladbach. Jermaine Jones, now of the Colorado Rapids and not long ago of Schalke, looks likely to join Bradley in midfield. Stoke City regular Geoff Cameron played the final friendly alongside Brooks and should round out the back line.
The players who have dropped out signal this positive change, as well. Yedlin isn’t stuck out of position on the right wing anymore. Unimpressive defenders Ventura Alvarado and Brad Evans are no longer taking minutes from better players.
The varied distribution of minutes in the past year shows that Klinsmann has a history of constant squad shake-ups, and perhaps one should not expect him to continue with this group through the tournament. But it’s notable that from the seven players above, Klinsmann can line up a strong back six, a base on which the side can build. Jones and Bradley will probably need further support in midfield, but the building blocks are at least here for a balanced squad with no obvious holes in its defense. That would be a major improvement for the United States.
And then there is Christian Pulisic. The 17-year-old phenom has played in both warm-up friendlies. He not only scored a goal but also demonstrated skills to hold and progress the ball under pressure that are nearly unrivaled on this U.S. squad. Pulisic earned several starts in the German league for Borussia Dortmund, one of the five or 10 best clubs in the world and produced two goals in those 400 minutes with underlying numbers to match. Recent hype magnet Julian Green, by contrast, failed to score or complete more than 45 minutes in any game for Bayern Munich. Even Landon Donovan never contributed much at Bayer Leverkusen.
Julian Draxler of Wolfsburg is the only attacking player to notch more minutes as a 17-year-old in the big four leagues since 2010-11, at least in a season where his birthday fell after the season ended. If the group is expanded to players 18 or under, Pulisic still ends up near the top of the chart.
No 18-year-old player is a sure thing; just look at Juanmi, who has failed to develop beyond being a squad player at Southampton. Sam Gallagher hasn’t done much since his cup of coffee two years ago. But the overall picture is very impressive. Draxler, Meyer, Son, Sterling and Brandt are all regulars on top clubs in the Bundesliga or Premier League. Werner put up a huge season for Stuttgart, while Rashford has worked his way onto the English national team. And since none of these guys are yet over 24, the best is likely still to come for many of them. Pulisic’s place on this list suggests that the United States has its first truly elite soccer prospect in a long time, perhaps ever.
The USMNT is coming off a bad year, and most fans expected very little from the Copa America based on the side’s previous competitive performance. But the sudden arrival of Pulisic and Klinsmann’s selection of a stable, in-form back six provide new hope that the United States may yet impress at home against some of the best teams from South and Central America.
Source :https://www.washingtonpost.com
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