Though still around two months away, before you know it the United States men’s national team will be facing off against Mexico in a huge playoff for CONCACAF’s spot at the 2017 Confederations Cup. The red, white and blue hope to put a disappointing Gold Cup behind them by upending their rivals from south of the border and clinching a spot in the World Cup dress rehearsal.
But can they accomplish this with the current cast? After all, they just finished fourth in a tournament where they were arguably the odds on favorite to win.
Are changes needed before the USMNT takes the pitch on October 9th? If so, which players should head coach Jurgen Klinsmann look to bring in with an eye towards having the right players on the field from an overall tactical standpoint?
Based on their performance in MLS play this season, I have a trio of players in mind who could do exactly that: Benny Feilhaber, Dax McCarty and Ethan Finlay. All three have lit up the league big time for their respective teams and Klinsmann would do the national side a huge favor by affording all three at least a cursory look and at the very most a call-up.
Let’s take a look at what makes these individuals so effective and why I think the sooner they’re part of the player pool, the better.
Benny Feilhaber: SKC’s Playmaker Extraordinaire
Many pundits and fans alike have lamented the fact the US really hasn’t had a true number ten in the lineup for a while now. They’ve been deficient recently in producing that ultra-creative maestro who can not only be a great facilitator for his teammates but also finish goal-scoring opportunities himself. Feilhaber has evolved into that role for Sporting Kansas City and it may be time for Klinsmann to bring him back into the national team in the same capacity.
Feilhaber’s absence during the Gold Cup was met with increasing anger and cynicism as the tournament grew on. His continued smoking hot form has done little to quiet such sentiment nearly a month afterwards. Sporting KC’s beat writer for MLSsoccer.com Steve Brisendine summed it up pretty well in the following tweet during the team’s 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake to advance to US Open Cup finals.
Presumably, if Feilhaber breaks the club assist record, 2003 Preki will no longer be one of the "others ahead of him" in JK's plans.
— Steve Brisendine (@SteveBrisendine) August 13, 2015
When you include MLS regular season play and the aforementioned Open Cup, Feilhaber has a whopping ten goals and 17 assists. The latter is one shy of the franchise assist record of 18 set by club legend Preki in 2003. With 14 non-playoff games across all competitions remaining in 2015, it seems all but a given that mark will fall with alarming ease.
With all those helpers, it’s no surprise he’s one of the league’s best chance creators and regularly on the direct or indirect end when it comes to finishing them. The following chart should make that fact clearly evident.
KeyP/90: key passes per 90; Score Sh %: score sheet percentage; % Team Mins: total percentage of team minutes played.
Looking at a players chance generation stats over a 90 minute period is all fine and dandy, but perhaps even more important is the percentage of actual finished chances he’s responsible for with either a goal or assist. It’s a metric I like to call score sheet percentage and as you can see, only Sebastian Giovinco accounts for more of his team’s goals and assists than Feilhaber.
It also should be noted that the 12 players included have the highest number of key passes per 90 among those who’ve played a minimum of 60 percent of their team’s total minutes. Being able to consistently perform at a high level while logging major minutes is a significant factor in a player’s value and, not surprisingly, both Feilhaber and Giovinco have played nearly the entirety of the season while also being in the discussion for this year’s MVP.
I envision Feilhaber taking Michael Bradley’s spot in the central attacking midfield, while Bradley moves back into a more withdrawn, kind of box-to-box role. It’s something he’s grown accustomed to at Toronto FC now that they have Giovinco.
I think it’s time for him to have a chance to add to his already 41 appearances for the Stars and Stripes.
Dax McCarty: The Bull of RBNY’s Defensive Midfield
The deep-lying holding midfielder requires a player with deft touch, an immense work rate and an ability to regularly dispossess opposing players of the ball. Dax McCarty possesses all these qualities and then some. Want to see that final characteristic in action?
Look no further than the Red Bulls emphatic 2-0 win over rivals New York City FC on Sunday. McCarty single-handedly took two of the club’s high-profile designated player signings to the proverbial woodshed.
First came this play involving Frank Lampard in the first half…
https://twitter.com/LWOS_JB3/status/630525240356044800
…then came the following play in the second with McCarty cleanly but decisively laying down the hammer on Andrea Pirlo.
One of the top moments from NYC derby: @DaxMcCarty11 tackles Pirlo ➡ Pirlo complains ➡ Dax makes all-ball sign. http://t.co/Z8yjhz8Jji
— Andrew Wiebe (@andrew_wiebe) August 10, 2015
Much like Feilhaber, McCarty has previous experience with the Yanks going all the way back to his youth days. He was part of the U-20 side that made a run to the quarterfinals of the 2007 World Cup at that level and also has five caps with the full national team.
The 28-year-old Winter Park, FL native is about as well-rounded a pure number six as you’re going to find in the league. What exactly does that entail? Not only do you need to provide cover for the back four and your defensive usage should reflect that, but the focal point of ball distribution downfield should also fall at your feet.
The following chart includes the league leaders in pass usage rate among players who, once again, have logged at least 60% of their team’s minutes. I’ve sorted it by tackle+interception usage rate to illustrate which players are responsible for both a significant percentage of their team’s passes as well as defensive work.
After Kyle Beckerman’s struggles adapting to Jamaica’s speed in that semifinal loss at the Gold Cup, it may be time to shake things up a bit. At 28, McCarty still has plenty of prime years ahead of him (in contrast to Beckerman who’s 33) and it’s time for Klinsmann to give him a chance to show what he can do at international level once more.
Ethan Finlay: Winging It (or simply Winning) for Columbus Crew SC
No more than a year ago as the 2014 season reached its stretch run, Ethan Finlay was a relative unknown outside of Crew SC fans. Then he proceeded to go on an end-of-season tear, scoring six goals and four assists in the club’s final 11 games of the regular season.
Fast forward to the present and if you don’t know his name by now you either don’t follow the league (or don’t do it very well) or you’re straight up “hating” as they say. Him and Feilhaber are tied for the league lead in assists as Finlay has regularly played the part of set-up man on many of Kei Kamara’s 17 goals, which lead MLS. The Finlay to Kamara assist-goal combo is the most prolific in the league and the two of them have accounted for exactly 50 percent of Columbus’ total goals and assists on the year.
Finlay is a speedy winger with great explosive acceleration. He has an exceptional ability to time his movement to receive the ball in space, whether that’s on an overlapping run down the flank or through the diagonal channels towards the goal.
Much like McCarty, he’s an absolute workhorse and will out-hustle any opposing defender who doesn’t bring his A-game. Need more proof? I bring you Exhibit A from this year’s MLS All-Star Game against English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Do it to him @EthanFinlay13. #MLSAllStar https://t.co/PKjJM6oWGn
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 30, 2015
I think Finlay and the LA Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes could form a potent one-two punch at this position. You can either start Zardes and bring in Finlay’s fresh legs in the second half or vice-versa. Either way, it would certainly add depth down that side of the attacking midfield.
US soccer has a few pressing issues going forward. Perhaps its most important one is that of personnel. Put the right players in the right system and you give the team a much better chance to succeed. The less than savory result in the Gold Cup has me wondering whether this is being adequately done.
Feilhaber, McCarty and Finlay can help this team on the road to the 2018 World Cup. The question remains: will Klinsmann come calling?
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