Total American Futbol: What Should the USMNT’s Midfield Look Like?
U.S. soccer has long struggled to unearth top-flight contributors at key positions like left back and striker, but one part of the pitch where the American program is stacked is unquestionably the midfield.
There were nine midfielders on the final World Cup roster, but new faces have since emerged, and as we move closer to this summer’s pivotal CONCACAF Gold Cup, the midfield depth chart remains unsettled.
I’m going to attempt to hash out the ideal midfield grouping to appear in the United States’ starting 11, particularly focused on pegging a lineup for the fast-approaching friendly matches in late March against Argentina and Paraguay.
Deciding a midfield setup relies heavily on the formation deployed by the coach, so let’s cover that first. In the past, head coach Bob Bradley has gone with the 4-4-2, deploying two central midfielders, two outside midfielders, and two forwards/strikers. In the post-World Cup friendly matches, however, Bradley gravitated away from his tried and true formation, instead opting to deploy five midfielders with just a lone striker. I believe he will again go that route come this month‘s matches, specifically setting up in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with two holding central midfielders, three attacking mids, and just a lone striker.
So who are the five midfielders to crack the starting lineup? The mainstays in the American midfield have long been Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Donovan had a stellar World Cup and returned home to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to the MLS Supporters’ Shield, the award given to the team that ends the regular season with the best record.
Dempsey is having the best season of his career in the English Premier League at Fulham, where he’s scored 9 league goals, 10 if you include cup action.
Donovan and Dempsey are sure-fire starters if we’re looking to put together the best possible midfield formation, with Donovan out on the right side and Dempsey on the left. While the two outside midfielders are virtual locks, things get trickier when discussing the central midfield. That portion of the pitch holds the most intrigue, thanks in large part to some recent infusions of talent and changes of clubs.
The central midfielder in the best form is Stuart Holden, the attacking mid currently enjoying a very strong season for the Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League. He is a huge reason why Bolton is tied for seventh on the EPL’s table, and for me, he has to start as the attacking central mid in the 4-2-3-1. Holden has the right combination of crisp passing and the ability to link up with teammates further back in the formation and would be a strong distributor to slot in between Dempsey and Donovan.
The holding midfielder spots are where debates emerge. In recent years Michael Bradley has been a slam-dunk to start for the U.S. thanks to his aggressive and tenacious defensive style and opportunistic attacking. His playing time at the club level, however, has gotten sporadic to the point where I no longer see him as a sure-fire starter for the USMNT. Bradley has fallen down the depth chart at German club Borussia Monchengladbach, before being loaned out in the January transfer window to Aston Villa of the EPL.
Keeping Bradley from starting, in particular, should be the strong recent play of both Jermaine Jones and Maurice Edu. Both are central midfielders with similar styles that have been playing virtually every match for their clubs and showing extremely well. Jones, the player born and raised German but with an American father, is an extremely aggressive tackler who also has the ability to snap off great passes (see: this link-up with Jozy Altidore vs. Poland).
Edu is at Scotland’s Rangers (of Glasgow), one of that country’s top club teams. He is the only American still actively engaged in a European cup tournament (UEFA’s Europa League, where his recent goal sent Rangers through to the next round). Edu is similar to Bradley in that he’s sound defensively (even seeing time for the U.S. team at center back), but he can jump up into the attack and finish opportunistically around the net
The excellent form of Jones and Edu means they should lock up the two holding midfielder spots, especially with Michael Bradley is a transitional phase.
Who else is in the mix? Ironically enough, a player whose nickname is Mix, Mikkel Diskerud. Diskerud is a 20-year-old attacking midfielder of Norwegian descent that declared to play for the U.S. and has appeared in two friendly matches thus far. There’s also World Cup holdovers like Bennie Feilhaber, Jose Torres, Jonathan Spector and Ricardo Clark, all of whom have been used with varying regularity by Bob Bradley during his time in charge of the USMNT.
The midfield is deep, perhaps the United States’ deepest position, so it’s always interesting to take stock of where the players rank and who deserves to see the most playing time. Will Bob Bradley go with my proposed lineup? Almost certainly not, but hey, doesn’t stop me from writing it.
Join the Discussion