National Team Depth Chart: Midfielders

Here is the next segment in our coverage of the USMNT depth chart. Since this is by far the US Men’s National Team’s deepest area, we’ll expand the rankings. Feel free to agree or disagree with what we think. One thing I should note is that we’re going to assume certain players are healthy that are currently injured:

Midfielders (6)

Michael Bradley – Last year was a rough period in terms of his status on the national team & his club at the time. A move to Serie A has been a great success and he’s earned the coaches respect. I think he’s a better offensive player than he’s given credit for at times but he’ll never get a lot of goals. I think his passing, free kicks, & vision have all taken a step forward though.

Jermaine Jones – He makes a lot of bone-headed decisions but when he’s at his best, he’s the best midfielder this team has – too bad it hasn’t happened a lot on the national team. He brings a lot of steel to the middle of the pitch but he gets too aggressive. He’s basically his own worse enemy.

Jose Torres – Torres played wonderfully for Jurgen when given the chance to play in the midfield. His vision, passing, and dribbling skills are rare for this pool of players and brings a skill set the Jurgen wants in his players.

Danny Williams – Yes, he’s hurt but he’ll bounce back in a couple of weeks. I think he’s another player that has a lot of promise but has played out of position with the national team. He’s more of a defensive midfielders and I think has the ability to one day take over Jones’ spot in the starting line up.

Kyle Beckerman – I like him but I placed him this high because he does the dirty work that Jurgen asks him to do so, he’s going to be in the squad. He also brings a sense of calmness to to field which is nice because I think a lot of the players lose their focus or composure.

Maurice Edu – While he’s young & plays for a decent team, he’s never really done much for me. I think he needs to move to a new club since the Rangers are a hot mess but he has raw skills that need more development. In a way, he’s a prototypical American player: great athleticism however his instincts and skills need polish.

Right/Left wingers (4)

1. Clint Dempsey – He seems to be evolving into the #10 position for the team but he’s mainly been out wide. It’ll be interesting to see where he plays when the US has it’s entire squad. With that said, his form has been am.az.ing. I really hope he gets to play with a champions league bound team next year with Arsenal making a lot of sense IMHO.
2. Landon Donovan – Lots of folks have pointed out how he hasn’t played under Jurgen yet however I think it’s safe to saw that the coach rates him since he did bring him on loan to Bayern Munich when he coached there. His form hasn’t been that great but he did turn it up a notch with Everton this winter so I think its safe to say he’ll always bring his a-game. I do think he’s peaked and we’re starting to see his slow decline as a player.
3. Fabian Johnson – I’m not 100% sure where he’ll end up ultimately since he can play left back but there’s no denying that he’s a rising star on this team & has passed Brek Shea. He’s getting regular minutes with his club and offers a lot of versatility to this team.
4. Brek Shea – Speaking of Brek, I think this guy has a lot of expectations placed on him. He’s going to be a great player for many years to come, but people need to chill out. He’s got great pace but I’d like to see him use his physical advantage more & improve his crossing skills.

Wildcards

1. Stuart Holden – If he was healthy, he’d be a starter. Enough said. I didn’t place him on the chart since his recovery is still going to take a while.
2. Sacha Kljestan- I rate him higher than Edu & Beckerman personally but he can’t seem to break the ceiling above him & is a fringe player for the national team at the moment. His club form has been great & he’ll get some experience next year in the champions league but the guy needs to capitalize on this chances when he gets called up or he will remain buried. I think he needs to be more aggressive but he’s passing & vision have improved dramatically.
3. DeMarcus Beasley – he brings a lot of experience and his move to Mexico has been great for him. I think he could have been almost as successful as Donovan had his health & club career been different. He brings another asset besides his experience: he’s a true winger.
4. Freddy Adu – Poor guy was given such unrealistic expectations at the age of 14 but he’s only 22 and I think makes a good “off the bench” option at this point. He was smart to leave Europe for consistent minutes with the MLS.
5. Benny Feilhaber – He’s similar to Kljestan in that he needs to be more consistent in his performances with the national team. The problem for him is that he’s best at the center of the midfield but gets placed of out position for the sake of getting him on the pitch & he hasn’t adjusted.
6. Alejandro Bedoya -He brings versatility (he can play centrally or out wide) but his move to SPL’s Rangers hasn’t worked out to well and as I mentioned, the team is a hot mess right now due to financial issues.
7. Robbie Rogers – Like some of the other players, he’s on here because Jurgen likes him but his move to Leeds United hasn’t really done him much due to form & injuries. However, since he can play on the wing & has a lot of pace, he’s get the occasional look until someone passes him like…
8. Josh Gatt – Josh is an up & coming player who plays in Norwary for Molde FK which qualified for champions league soccer next year. He has tremendous pace and is only 20 year old. A lot of people think he’ll be on the World Cup roster in a couple of years.
9. Joe Corona – Joe scored a couple of goals for the U-23 team during the Olympic campaign and is playing very well down in Mexico for Tijuana.