Jurgen Klinsmann will name his roster Monday for the United States' next two World Cup qualifiers. The games — against Costa Rica on Friday in Commerce City, Colo., and against Mexico next Tuesday in Mexico City — won't decide whether the Americans play in the 2014 World Cup, but they could make getting there a lot easier, or infinitely more difficult.
In a Twitter Q & A last week, Klinsmann said that he would wait to make sure his players emerged injury-free from this weekend's games before naming his roster; so far, so good (mostly). He also said that he was comfortable with Brad Guzan stepping in for the injured Tim Howard in goal, and that he expected Clint Dempsey and Fabian Johnson — who have each missed time recently with injuries — to be in camp.
Friends of the Goal blog John Godfrey and Brian Sciaretta have breakdowns of a possible United States roster here and here, and Steve Davis points out that Mexico may be feeling just as much heat as the Americans by the time the teams collide at the Azteca. But first things first: after losing at Honduras, the United States could use a win in at least one of these games. (Or nor, depending whom you listen to.)
Since picking up victories in Mexico has been, shall we say, problematic over the years, it's in Klinsmann's best interest to get three points in the bag before his team arrives there. That could lead him to be more aggressive in Colorado, in the hopes that he can put the Costa Ricans on their heels and keep them there.
But what might that look like?
Klinsmann's U.S. teams have never been known for their goal production, but he suddenly seems to have some in-form scoring options just when he needs them. Jozy Altidore has been in blistering form in the Netherlands all season, breaking Dempsey's record for an American in Europe. Herculez Gomez is scoring consistently in Mexico, and Eddie Johnson is doing the same in Seattle. And then there's always Dempsey. Would Klinsmann try a 4-3-3 instead of the 4-4-2 that has been his mainstay, to press the attack? It's bold, but unlikely. Service to the forwards, whether it's two, or three, or just one, has always been the problem anyway.
Then again, it's probably good for Klinsmann to have a few choices up front. Behind them, he has mostly questions.
Michael Bradley is a lock to start in midfield when he's healthy, and Jermaine Jones probably is, too. Klinsmann said as much recently when he discussed how he'd like to see Bradley and Jones form an understanding in the middle that would allow him to dispense with the idea of playing a holding midfielder behind them:
"It's very crucial, the partnership between Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones. It's really important that they over time develop a real fine-tuned understanding that when one goes forward and is attacking, the other has to secure him and stay back. Here and there they both end up in the opponent's penalty area and you leave kind of a hole behind. Those are things we would love to work on in the near future, when we play both next to each other and maybe we play without a No. 6 that secures them. It only works if one stays and the other goes, and this is very important. Hopefully now we have the time and more training sessions before a game to work on that, and I think in time if we develop that fine-tuned understanding between these two guys, then we have a big plus."
The question is how to supplement that partnership. Is it with wide players like Brek Shea and DaMarcus Beasley, even if they've been away from the team for a while, or M.L.S. players like Graham Zusi and Eddie Johnson, who played well in Honduras and scored twice this week for the Sounders? Or should Klinsmann go with creative types like Jose Torres and Sacha Kljestan, who might do a better job in possession? Or sturdier, safer types like Danny Williams and Maurice Edu, who could allow both Bradley and Jones to venture forward?
Only Klinsmann can weigh those risks and rewards. But none of those solutions deal with the Americans' most glaring problem: an inexperienced and underwhelming central defense. Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzalez started in the middle in Honduras, a bit of a surprise since Carlos Bocanegra had been a fixture there for years and might have helped ease in one of the two by playing alongside them.
But throwing players into the deep end is another way to go, and Klinsmann did it. And it didn't work. But remember: Klinsmann is looking to next summer, and beyond, and while sliding the experienced Bocanegra back in for the next two games might be an easy fix, he will be 34 in May and rarely plays these days in Spain's second division.
Choosing a new tandem to put between Timothy Chandler and Fabian Johnson in a younger back line would be tantamount to admitting that Cameron and Gonzalez aren't up to the job. That's probably not the message Klinsmann wants to send right now, to them or to the rest of his team.
But until that puzzle is solved, Klinsmann may have to play it safe.
¶U.S. Soccer announced Thursday that the national team would host Belgium for the first time, on May 29 in Cleveland (8 p.m., ESPN2). The United States is also expected to face Germany in a friendly on June 2 in Washington — the Germans have listed the game on their schedule even though U.S. Soccer has not confirmed it — as preparation for World Cup qualifiers at Jamaica (June 7) and home to Panama (June 11). The friendlies raise an interesting possibility: If he's interested, and if he's is back in form with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and (especially) if the national team is in trouble in qualifying, those games could offer Landon Donovan an opening to rejoin the team in time for this summer's Gold Cup and the fall qualifiers. But that's a lot of ifs.
¶The United States women's national team won the Algarve Cup in Portugal on Wednesday, beating Germany, 2-0, to win its ninth title in the event. In doing so, the team ran its unbeaten streak to 29 games over all, and its record to 5-0-1 under Coach Tom Sermanni. Alex Morgan scored both goals in the final, and one in the 1-1 tie with Sweden that put the Americans in the championship game. The United States also defeated Iceland and China. You can see every goal they scored here:
The Sweden game was most likely the strangest experience, since it meant a reunion of the U.S. players and their former coach, Pia Sundhage. Morgan said she had difficulty tuning out Sundhage, and defender Kelley O'Hara added: "When she started to yell when I was on her side, I am so used to hearing her voice; it was like: 'Are you talking to me? Oh, you're talking Swedish. I'm not on your team anymore!' So it was a bit weird."
The week was also filled with medical news. The tournament began with the announcement that goalkeeper Hope Solo had had surgery for a wrist injury. Her replacement, Jill Loyden, broke her left hand in practice before the tournament, and then midfielder Carli Lloyd broke a bone in her shoulder in the Americans' opener. Megan Rapinoe missed the final with an undisclosed injury, and Amy Rodriguez miss the entire tournament — and will miss the N.W.S.L. season — because she's pregnant.
Lloyd will be out six weeks, and Solo will miss three to four months. Want to know how she's feeling? Go ask her. She'll be at an autograph show in New Jersey on Sunday.
http://t.co/r2LAafIpiE here's the link for the signing tomorrow! Hope to see you there!
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) 16 Mar 13
Bring cash. And say hello to Butterbean. He'll be there, too.
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