USA 2018: Wings and Defensive Midfield Comment Count

Brian

Previously: Strikers and attacking mids.

WINGERS

Brad Davis is gone. Zusi and Bedoya will be 31, plausible but perhaps not ideal. Since neither is exactly the first name on the team sheet it's 50/50 whether they hang on for the entirety of another cycle. The guess here is no.

I won't be splitting the wings into different bins, because these days so many of them play inverted. Oddly, most of the available talent for the next cycle is more comfortable on the left, but especially here take right/left with a grain of salt. The US projects to have a couple of bombers at fullback, so cutting in will be at least as important as crossing.

JULIAN GREEN – left wing – Bayern Munich (Germany) – 23 in 2018 – 3 caps:

julian-green-goal-against-belgium-b[1]

The USA's most hyped prospect ever already has as many World Cup goals as Wayne Rooney, even if it doesn't seem like he's quite ready yet. Ideally he'll break through into the Bayern first team. Pep Guardiola says they want him on the first team this year, FWIW. That would be terrific if he actually sees time; more likely perhaps is that he gets loaned out to a mid-table Bundesliga team.

Whatever happens on a club level, US will integrate him with the players he'll be combining with over the next four years as early as possible. One dollar he gets his first start against the Czechs in September. (It is a FIFA date.)

JOSH GATT – right wing - Molde (Norway) – 26 in 2018 – 2 caps

Lightning quick, Gatt was gathering attention from big clubs after a stellar introduction at Molde. Then back-to-back ACL tears hacked him down. He is on the shelf until 2015 (like the US, Norway plays over the summer). Multiple serious injuries are always a concern, but the latest one was a 'clean' ACL tear that he's projected to recover from fully.

A fixture in the Norwegian champions' side when healthy, the best case for Gatt is that he recovers from his ACL, has a strong 2015, and transfers to a second-tier European league like Holland. As long as he maintains his speed he's a good bet for the US, as he's ahead of his competitors in age and experience.

After Green this is all a WAG, but the prospect of the US starting Green/Johnson/Gatt/Yedlin would give the US the fastest flanks in the 2018 World Cup unless Holland has an army of Arjen Robben clones on the way.

MARC PELOSI – left wing – Liverpool (England) – 24 in 2018 – 0 caps

Pelosi skipped the US system for a youth contract with Liverpool and was promising enough to ink a long-term contract despite a nasty broken leg. Pelosi is also a prospect at left back and potentially in the center of midfield, a versatility that gives him the nod here, for what little that's worth right now.

He returned to the field for Liverpool's U21 side in April; before the injury he was named to the 18 for one of Liverpool's Europa League matches.

--------------line of sadness--------------

JOE GYAU – left wing – Borussia Dortmund(Germany) – 25 in 2018 – 0 caps

enjoys a dance

Gyau just moved to Borussia Dortmund, a Champions League regular, despite a lack of playing time so far. He is explicitly in their U23 reserves. Even so, that's a good sign, as Dortmund has a habit of scooping up talented young guys and making them stars.

Gyau is one slippery little bugger who immediately caught my eye when I saw him play for the US on some youth level or another, an excellent example of the what-if-slot-receivers-played-soccer thing. He has produced in buckets in the lower German leagues (in Germany there isn't a separate reserve league; instead there's a Dortmund II that plays in the third or fourth tier).

BREK SHEA – left wing – Stoke (England) – 28 in 2018 – 26 caps

The enigmatic Shea has proven he's got the ability to turn games around as a substitute, and at 6'3" with wheels he has a tantalizing physical package. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to do anything with that package since his move to Stoke, with just three appearances in the EPL.

Shea's departure from Dallas was acrimonious and a brief loan into the Championship was terminated after a blow up between Shea and some opposing fans, so he may not be a great fit on the USMNT. If he finds a club, establishes himself a regular starter, and performs then we can start talking. Now that seems a long long way off. Shea should in fact be in the next section but I wrote this up so here he is.

-------------line of not particularly close--------------

Graham Zusi and Alejandro Bedoya should feature on and off for the next couple years as the young guys mature. You wouldn't go amiss predicting one makes the roster, if you're pessimistic. Fabian Johnson could also figure in here if the situation at outside back looks suddenly rosy—his existence is why I'm projecting only three winger types on the roster.

Younger fringe options include DC's Nick DeLeon, who had a great rookie year in 2012 before hamstring issues submarined his sophomore year. If he doesn't get a look pretty soon he'll probably play for Trinidad & Tobago. He'll be 27 at the next World Cup, time to decide.

DEFENSIVE MID

The brutal physical demands of defensive midfielder will excise Jones and Beckerman, who will be 36 in 2018. Either might hang on for a year or two as the US tries to lock down a Confed Cup slot in next year's Gold Cup and prepares for the Super Copa America or whatever they're calling it in 2016, but the US should start blooding a new generation immediately.

MICHAEL BRADLEY – Toronto FC – 30 in 2018 -

Michael-Bradley-copy[1]

Duh.

I think this: Bradley needs a guy with him if he's going to play at the top of a diamond. The US's possession got much better when Wondolowksi came in and Dempsey dropped back to help out. Whether that's a 4-4-2 of some variety or Bradley moving back into a second D-mid slot to provide a true #10 a spot on the field I don't know.

I also think this: in the next cycle it seems like a 4-3-3 suits the US best, as they can go with one true holder and put Bradley and the next gentleman in front of him.

WIL TRAPP – Columbus Crew – 25 in 2018 – 0 caps

One sentence description: the exact opposite of Maurice Edu.

I split these into attacking and defensive mid sections for simplicity, but Trapp doesn't really fit either category. He's got Damarcus Beasley's frame but plays central midfield for the Crew, where he is a homegrown player and vice-captain. Yes, at 21. He's a key component of Gregg Berhalter's possession-based approach, popping up on a number of MLS stat leaderboards. Soccer stats never tell you the whole story, but this one is eye-popping:

trapp2[1][8]

American Xavi! Or Pirlo! Or something, anyway. Gonzalez being #2 on this list is bizarre; as always, take soccer stats lightly.

Even so, in April he manufactured a 90th-minute equalizer with an inch-perfect pass from his side of midfield to the 18-yard box. Trapp's technical quality will get him a look, probably as soon as September.

SHANE O'NEILL – Colorado Rapids – 24 in 2018 – 0 caps

O'Neill has been starting for his club at central defense, but with those slots likely in older hands for 2018, O'Neill should get a look in central midfield, which he has the skillset for—before breaking through in Colorado he was a midfielder and sometimes a forward.

One note: O'Neill is an inverse Johannsson, born in Ireland before moving to the US at a young age. He has suggested he would accept a call-up from the FAI if the US wasn't forthcoming. Expect him to get capped sooner rather than later as a result.

--------------------line of sadness--------------------

CALEB STANKO – Freiburg (Germany) – 24 in 2018 – 0 caps

Stanko is on the verge of breaking through to the Freiburg first team at 20. He was the USA's first choice central defender in the most recent U20 World Cup, a competition in which the US gave up piles of goals as they tried to press the likes of France and Spain—not really his fault.

At Freiburg he's a defensive midfielder, sometimes captain of their reserve team, and he's made the bench for a couple of games.

MAURICE EDU – Philadelphia Union – 32 in 2018 – 46  caps

Edu should have been on this year's World Cup roster if Beckerman and Jones were going to play together, but was omitted. He's been a pure destroyer for the US for years; fast and physical with limited ability on the ball, he's a stereotypical USA D-mid. Ideally he'll get passed by younger players.

DANNY WILLIAMS – Reading (English 2nd) - 29 in 2018 – 13 caps

Williams had a run of caps in the middle of the last cycle at D-mid and sometimes in an odd right wing role that didn't fit his skillset. He's dropped from the Bundesliga to the English Championship. He is getting plenty of PT at Reading and should be in his prime in four years.

Like Edu he's not the most technical guy. His best bet is if the US is still in the market for a pure destroyer; his problem is that there are a number of promising CB/DM hybrids who seem like they can fulfill that role and do a better job of retaining possession.

--------------------line of not that close-----------------------

DC United mainstay Perry Kitchen was also on that Akron team. He's turned into a pretty good MLS player but not the star some were projecting he'd be. Philadelphia's Amobi Okugo is a younger version of Edu. Both will be in their mid-20s and could slide onto the roster.

There is a pile of guys who move back and forth from central D to defensive mid covered in the central defense section. O'Neill is one; there's also Will Packwood, Tim Ream, and Jeff Cameron.

Comments

kman23

July 4th, 2014 at 4:35 PM ^

DC United has made a mess of his first 3 seasons. He finally has a real MF partner (and not a #10) and amazingly he's better (duh, playing 2 on 2 is easier than 1 on 2). He's a really solid Beckerman type destroyer but he's taller and he's half engine (Khedira like legs). He also has some offensive touch and can make a nice pass when given a second or two to pick up his head. He doesn't make those type of passes too often for DC but that's because DC has 4 attacking options in front of him and he can normally find one with a normal pass and doesn't need a great pass to spring the attack.

 

Many DC fans (myself included) thought he'd be given the armband for DC and I honestly think he'd have been ready for it. All this from a 22 year old CDM in his 3rd season. Like Gil, I think Kitchen and Hamid prove how talented the US will be in 4 years since they're going to be very talented and experienced (yet stil be mid 20's) MLS players that will fight for the final roster spots.

kman23

July 4th, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^

Guzan

Yedlin-Cameron-Brooks-Johnson

Bradley-Packwood

Gatt-Green-Pelosi

Altidore

 

(Hamid, Irwin

Chandler, Cochran, Farrell,

Gil, Zelalem, Kitchen, Fagundez,

Boyd, Agudelo, Bruin/McInerny/Mullins)

ken725

July 4th, 2014 at 5:34 PM ^

Very unlucky for Gatt. If he doesn't regain his speed I'm not sure if he has a starting place on the team. He is pretty one dimensional and he is missing development time where he can work on things that he needs to improve on like technique and decision making

alum96

July 4th, 2014 at 6:16 PM ^

One comment - I think Freddy Adu was the most hyped US soccer player ever.  He had an entire 60 Minutes piece on him.  Outside of soccer circles Green is not on the radar.

ironman4579

July 4th, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^

I would definately agree with this. I seem to remember him on the cover of SI being called the next Pele. I think the worst thing that ever happened to him was his mother turning down an offer from Internazional. His development would have been so much better in Italy than MLS.

samsoccer7

July 5th, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^

Yup wanted to comment about this as well.  Freddy wasn't just a hot soccer prospect, he was pretty much a national figure for a few moments.  Even people who don't know anything about soccer know there was once this super-phenom that never really panned out on the international level.

SA

July 4th, 2014 at 9:29 PM ^

Thanks for this write-up Brian.  This is better than anything I have seen online.  The detailed analysis is fantastic.

Blue_in_Cleveland

July 5th, 2014 at 3:40 AM ^

There is no way Green sees time at Bayern this year with Ribery, Robben, Muller and Shaqiri all operating on the wings. Hopefully he can contribute on loan somewhere. Honestly, I doubt he ever amounts to anything at Bayern. Even when those guys get too old, they will just restock with better players than Green. Donovan couldn't hack it in the Bundesliga at Bayer Leverkusen, there is no reason to think Green will fare any better.

Blue_in_Cleveland

July 5th, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^

Yes I realize he is a teenager (barely at 19), but look at what other top players were doing when they were around his age. Muller was the leading scorer at the last world cup as a 20 year old and might be the top scorer again this time around. In the season that started when he was 19, he played every game for Bayern and scored 19 goals in all competitions, 13 in the Bundesliga. Robben played half the EPL season for Chelsea as a 20 year old and scored 9 goals in all competitions. Shaqiri put in 8 goals for Bayern a couple years ago as a 20 year old. I didn't even mention Ribery, the best of the bunch. Perhaps I was being a little over pessimistic, but the kind of players that play regularly for teams like Bayern are really really good and Green still has a lot to prove. There is a big difference between dominating at the reserve level (which is where Green was last year and he did definitely dominate) and being able to perform for a first team in one of the top leagues such as EPL, La Liga or the Bundesliga.

Furthermore, consider the results of other Americans going to top European teams. Oguchi Onyewu basically fell off the map when he moved to AC Milan (where he never played a game). Even Tim Howard only lasted 1 full year as Manchester United's top keeper. Brian McBride's years at Fulham and more recently Clint Dempsey's years at Fulham and Tottenham are the most success any American field player has had in a major overseas league but these were at mid-level teams. American goalies (Howard, Friedel, Keller and recently Guzan) have had significant success at mid-level teams in top European leagues (mostly EPL in this case), but again, no American has ever been sucessful at a top European team.

Blue_in_Cleveland

July 7th, 2014 at 12:38 AM ^

Actually, I'm not cherry picking at all. Your examples only further prove my point. I will admit that I haven't heard of Subotic before, but he was foreign born and plays for a foreign national team, so not a real great comparison. Also Dortmund is not on the same level as a Bayern. Rossi also plays for a foreign national team and his club team is not elite, at least not like Bayern. Reyna never played for a top team. Remember, he was at Man City before they got rich. And concerning O'Brien, the Eredevisie is not a top league (part of my point above) and he was there after their years of dominance.

My point is this: no American has succeeded at a team the caliber of Bayern for any prolonged period of time (Howard's 1 year at Man U is why I qualify with the word prolonged).

There are also plenty of other German born players on the US national team right now  if you think those are better comparisons, but none of them have found success at top teams. I am an American and a Bayern fan so I hope Green becomes the first successful American at a truly elite European team, but he has a huge mountain to climb and is behind some really great players who were much further along in their development at the same stage of their career.

Blue Bunny Friday

July 6th, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^

You realize that you're comparing him to Muller, Robben and Ribery, right? Any one of them would probably be America's GOAT. Also, there are different development paths for a lot of players. Green may not be any of those guys and still may lead the US to a semi (or better) in the WC. I think you are being overly pessimistic because Bayern has had it's rather uprecedented success because of those guys, not despite them.

alum96

July 6th, 2014 at 9:36 PM ^

Yeah I think anyone comparing Green to one of the top 10-15 players in the world is out of their mind, or that he is on that path.  I hope that is not the expectation of people in soccer circles either. 

I think what you need to do is ask if these players are an upgrade on the player before them in the previous cycle or 2 cycles ago.  Green looks like he will be playing where Donovan was 2 cycles ago and Bedoya or Zusi this cycle.  If he is not an upgrade over Bedoya or Zusi that would be a major disappointment considering the hype.  Donovan stunk overseas but he did pretty well in international competition and a case is made for him to be one of the top 3 Americans of all time.  So the question is can Green be better than Donovan playing for the USMT?  I hope so but that is no guarantee.   Can he be better than the average Spaniard, Dutch dude, or Brazilian he will be facing across the pitch in 4 years?  Doubtful - there are a bunch of 19-20 year old Brazilians, Spaniards, Dutch(men)? already playing in EPL, La Liga, etc first teams.  Green is just a reserve albeit on a good club - best for him would be to see him loaned out the next 2 years and get a ton of playing time on a mid tier team.

But can Green be an upgrade from what we have been using for years and give us more possesion in the years ahead - that is the real question.  Same for any player in this 23 and under set we are speaking of.  It's like a farm system - everyone sounds great in the minors until they get hit the majors and we see reality.

There are probably 50 Green's in the German system and we have maybe 5.  So they can have a much lower hit rate and it not hurt them while we need just about all ours to "hit" to truly have any sort of golden generation.  That is more the issue than anything.

Blue_in_Cleveland

July 7th, 2014 at 12:40 AM ^

I am comparing him to those players because those are the kind of guys he will have to compete with at Bayern to get playing time. These are exactly who he should be compared to. I am not comparing him to those players because I think he will be as good as them. Actually, if you look at my point, it is that he is unlikely to be as good as them.  More to your point and that of the 1st reply to your comment, there is no reason to think he might not be the best player for the USA for the next decade plus. Indeed, probably no other player better projects to that accolade. But this doesn't mean that he will make it at a team like Bayern. So far, no American has.

M-Dog

July 5th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^

Why did Green agree to come to the US?

Did he think he would not have a chance with Germany?  Was he fascinated by the prospect of being a pioneer in the rise of the USA to prominence?  Was we swept off his feet by the gentle cooing of Jurgen, as we all were here in the US?  

Or was he just a teenager making capricious and arbitrary recruiting decisions?  (But with no de-committs allowed!) 

Blue_in_Cleveland

July 5th, 2014 at 10:17 PM ^

You're kidding right? They are both American (same nationality) wingers (same position) who are in/came through top Bundesliga youth systems (same league). Donovan has probably been the best American soccer player at least of the last decade and probably ever (I'll admit Dempsey has been the top American the last couple years). Green is certainly the most hyped American prospect currently and one of the most hyped ever. Not only is Donovan a fitting comparison, no other American ever would be a better comparison.

HermanDaGerman

July 6th, 2014 at 10:31 AM ^

Donovan is from California and moved to Leverkusen when he was 18. Many of his development issues at the time were related to his (lack of) acclimation to a new culture. Green was raised in Germany (since, yunnow, he's also German) and has been in Bayern's youth system for years. Their backgrounds couldn't possibly be more different. They just happen to both have a blue passport.

M Go Cue

July 5th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^

Considering that college football starts next month, would someone please wake me up when we stop talking about GD World Cup soccer in 2018. This is Michigan fergodsakes. Thanks!

M Go Cue

July 5th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^

Aww, did I hurt your feelings? Excuse me for going to a Michigan blog in July and wanting to read about Michigan football. How awful of me.

M Go Cue

July 5th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^

It's clear from your flopping around and overreacting that you're soccer fans. No offense, but there is something wrong when there is more soccer coverage on the first 3 pages of Mgoblog than football...in July.
I went to Eleven Warriors and could only make it through their first 4 pages without wanting to throw up. Do you know how much World Cup headline coverage I found? ZERO. Holy shit, they were taking about football! It's embarrassing.

M Go Cue

July 6th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^

Look, Mgoblog can write all day about Wimbledon, cricket, and the state of soccer in 2018. It's not my blog. All I'm saying is wake me up when we actually start talking about football again like every other major program is already doing. Sorry some of you are so thin skinned. You can also give me negative points as much as you want. I don't care. Just let me know when we get back to football that starts next month.

 

OMG Shirtless

July 6th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^

Anything and everything that is even remotely relevant has been discussed.  There was a post yesterday about what was basically a group of friends running a few routes at a high school football field before or after a backyard bbq.  

Some of us have the brain capacity to discuss more than one sport at a time.  I'm sorry you and the other major programs* don't have the mental ability to enjoy anything other than football.  

*I still don't know why you keep bringing up the other major programs.  Is it our fault that they're too simple to maintain an interest in more than one sport?

 

 

M Go Cue

July 6th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^

What a surprise, you dropped "mental capacity" card. Let's please refrain from the "yeah, but we're smarter" routine. It's pathetic.

I guess there has been plenty of football talk for you and that is troubling. I'm sure one could find a direct correlation between the intensity of the fan base (Argentina, Brazil, Alabama), or lack thereof (Canada, Denmark, Indiana) and their success on the field. 

I'm not saying we need to become like Alabama but I guarantee the folks in Tuscaloosa, or Tallahassee, or Athens are not talking about soccer, nor are they getting their Umbros in a bunch and jumping down the throat of anyone that wants a little more football coverage.

bluuadams

July 6th, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^

I'm somewhat new to being interested in the formations and tactics..



Could someone please kind of diagram the 4-3-3 Brian's suggesting we should go with?



It sounds sort of like..



LW-Green                    ST-Altidore                  RW-Gatt

                     AM-Nagbe                   AM-Trapp

                                       DM-Bradley

        LB                  LCB                        RCB             RB



I don't get it at all?