by Roderick MacNeil
Edgar Castillo and the USMNT searched in vain for answers vs Ukraine. (Kyle Rivas photo)
Against one of the more surreal sporting backdrops in recent memory, the United States Men’s National Team was shredded by a dynamic Ukrainian side in Larnaca, Cyprus Wednesday by a 2:0 margin. The Americans looked truly fortunate not to lose by 4 or 5 goals. The sparse gathering of about 1,500 spectators that wandered into Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium saw an incohesive USMNT backline repeatedly ripped apart, and a punchless attack unable to sustain any sort of pressure. For head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had the best view of all, the result was far less important than the individual performances. We won’t find out until June what he’s concluded, but we have our own eyes.
Who’s not going to Brazil?
Oguchi Onyewu – Gooch is just too far past it. His late push for the World Cup roster made him a sentimental favorite for longtime USMNT fans, but the reality is that he’s no longer the player he once was. A player of his experience needed to step forward and take a leadership role in organizing the back line. Instead, he looked as lost as anyone. We recognize that he hadn’t played together with his fellow defenders before, but as the senior figure in central defense, he needed to come up with some answers, and he couldn’t do that.
John Brooks – At 21 years old, there’s still a bright future ahead for Brooks. Yesterday he showed us that his talent is still too raw to rely upon in the World Cup. Brooks was out position far too often. On several occasions his great athletic ability was good enough to recover and break up a scoring chance; he’s learning. Right now Klinsmann needs center backs on the field who won’t need to recover so often. We’ll see a lot more of Brooks after the World Cup, but not during.
Sacha Kljestan – Kljestan is an enigma. He continues to perform well at the club level and deserve National Team call-ups. Yet he never seems to be able to translate his game to success with the USMNT. Kljestan did little with his 63 minutes, other than supply critical turnovers to the Ukrainians. When your “creative” central midfielder only completes 30 passes, he’s not being active enough nor especially creative. There are too many other players available who have been more effective in that role.
Terrence Boyd – This is a tough one, but when a player on the roster bubble doesn’t get off the bench in his final opportunity, it probably means something. Boyd’s having a standout season in Austria, yet Klinsmann was more interested in seeing Juan Agudelo on this occasion. It may not be Boyd’s fault. With Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson and Eddie Johnson all locks for Brazil ahead of him, Boyd’s skill set just might overlap too much with options Klinsmann already has in his arsenal. The door is wide open for someone else to step in.
Jonathan Spector, Will Packwood, Alfredo Morales – Well, yeah, duh. In Spector’s case, he was just invited to fill a positional need for this game in case of injury. The other two were just young tourists, taking in the experience and hoping to be invited back more during the next cycle.
Who stayed in the mix?
Danny Williams – Partly due to his own improved play, and partly due to Kljestan’s shortcomings, Williams remains firmly in the picture. He offers a different, more explosive look out of the middle and brought a more dynamic box-to-box presence. He still has to show more, but Williams may have done enough to at least earn an invite to camp in May.
Edgar Castillo – Hold on, hear me out on this one. Yes, Castillo was very poor vs. Ukraine. He looked completely overmatched defending Andriy Yarmolenko on the flank (then again, most defenders look that way against Yarmolenko). Yet there are two good reasons not to rule him out: 1) He’s exactly the type of player Klinsmann wants at fullback – one who can get up and down the flank and interchange comfortably in the midfield, and 2) he plays in Liga MX, so he’ll be available for a call-up on April 2 in Phoenix, and a shot at redemption. Very, very down, but not out.
Michael Parkhurst – He was already in the mix with his ability to play on either side, but his stock went up with Castillo’s poor performance. It’s important for Parkhurst to get off to a strong start with the Columbus Crew and give Klinsmann no reason to leave him out against Mexico, but he’s looking like a more probable selection for Brazil.
Mix Diskerud – Why yes, it so happens that Mix is indeed in the mix. He can breathe a little easier if he was worried about being leapfrogged in absentia. Diskerud isn’t a lock, but he’s looking firmer after Sacha Kljestan’s showing. He makes it to the pre-World Cup camp for sure, and likely gets on the plane.
Who is locked in for Brazil?
Alejandro Bedoya – He was one of the better players on the field for the United States. Granted, that’s not saying much, but it was good enough. Bedoya is a regular part of the rotation at this point, an occasional starter, and he didn’t do himself any disservice on Wednesday.
Fabian Johnson – His ticket to Brazil is surprisingly still questioned by some, but Johnson will be on the plane. He may be a man without a position in terms of the starting lineup, but he’s far too versatile to leave home. Klinsmann highly values players who can play multiple positions (see Brad Evans, DaMarcus Beasley, Geoff Cameron) and Fabian is a perfect example.
Geoff Cameron – Not a game he would highlight on his resume, but Cameron was at least adequate. He remains a player who could conceivably start or get minutes at either right back, center back or central midfield. Popular sentiment seems to be for him to supplant Brad Evans as the starting right back. Yet Cameron didn’t wrest that starting spot away. It’s also notable that his two recent USMNT starts at right back have both come when Evans was either absent or unavailable, so there’s still no evidence to suggest Klinsmann’s pecking order has changed. But make no mistake, Cameron’s on the World Cup roster and will prove useful.
Who has the door opened for?
Michael Orozco – There’s a big opportunity for a center back to step up a snatch a roster spot. Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler and Clarence Goodson are all locks. Could Orozco join them? He’ll likely get a call-up next month vs. Mexico. He’s been a steady presence in the middle for Puebla FC and he’s shown a knack for being effective on set pieces. The three USMNT goals to his name in the last 18 months can’t hurt either.
Joe Corona – Where Brek Shea has fallen short, Joe Corona will see an opportunity. Corona’s minutes at Tijuana have been reduced of late, but he’s shown well with the USMNT and should get one more chance to show himself.
Herculez Gomez – The forgotten man at forward, Gomez has struggled with nagging injuries and hasn’t scored in ages with Tijuana. But there’s a roster spot at forward there for the taking, and Gomez is the type of smart, seasoned player that Klinsmann would love to call upon in an important game. It’s up to Herc to show he can be that player this summer.
Carlos Bocanegra – I’m shocked that I just typed his name, yet there it is. The former “Captain America” has seemingly been put out to pasture at the international level, and hasn’t been heard from much at the club level in quite a while. He’ll need to shine brightly with Chivas USA over the next month to even get a sniff of a call-up vs. Mexico. It’s the longest of long shots, but if Bocanegra shows he can be even 80% of the player he used to be, his leadership and mere presence could be a welcome sight in Klinsmann’s locker room. Do I expect this to happen? Not at all. But after Onyewu and Brooks showed themselves the door, there’s still a job opening to interview for.
Juan Agudelo – He’s been impressive in his short stint at Utrecht thus far. Getting on the field against Ukraine was a statement itself. Agudelo brings a spark that his competitors at forward don’t seem to offer. He’s looking like a much stronger World Cup contender than he did just a few weeks ago.
Chris Wondolowski – He keeps scoring goals whenever given the chance, and that’s an extremely convincing asset to bring to the table. Wondo has made a career out of sneaking up on defenders. Maybe he’ll sneak up and snag a ticket to Brazil from Terrence Boyd. It’s not just his nose for the goal, it’s that he offers a different dimension than the other forwards on the roster. He’s not a target forward, a slasher or speedster. Wondo loses defenders and finds the ball. He’s a pure poacher who makes a living off being in the right spot at the right time. If Klinsmann values that skill highly enough, Wondo could be his guy.
Julian Green – How can the door be open for a player who isn’t even eligible to play for the United States yet? Well, Green’s a very special case, that’s why. This much I believe to be true: If Green were offered a World Cup roster spot, he would accept it. The wisdom of offering him a spot remains a debatable point. But the upside is too great to say it’s out of the realm of possibility.
Many questions were answered on Wednesday, but many new ones arose. The next pop quiz is less than a month away in Arizona. Who’s raising their hands, ready to be called upon?
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