On the whole I agree with this, but I think it's also important to recognize that player selection is typically based on a couple of dimensions: one part is fit in the system overall and the other part current form. Some players may never fit the system of the coach regardless of position or form, while others may get the nod based purely on form. I think the conventional wisdom with Benny was that his form didn't really start to round out until late last year. Despite that and how Benny's form has been this year I suspect that Jurgen has "his guys" and those on the outside of the picture, and regardless of form something more fundamental has to happen for a player to break into JK's mental model of who is in the mix. I'm afraid Benny may have missed the boat on breaking into that group awhile ago. To be fair to Jurgen this is true of most coaches, but it is still a weakness to some degree. Being savvy enough to recognize players who are going through exceptional periods of good form (not saying this applies to Benny now, although it might), fit the caliber of player you need and then setting aside your prejudices and rolling with the most in-form player versus the incumbents is a fine art and a rare talent in coaching. All that said, if it actually came down to one slot with either Mix or Benny to choose from I would still take Benny, but only due to the margin of his experience and big game history at the international level.
Gotta second Arriola. Should have also done more recruiting of Zelalem and tried to lock him down, just like Green.
With Zelalem the big thing was to get him not to play for Germany(he's not a citizen yet). Which has been accomplished. I don't know if ussoccer got involved or not.
Player selection in most countries is done thinking of a system. Few countries have the luxury of having enough world class players that the selection process guides itself. In that, the USA is the norm, not the exception. Countries at this level will always have a couple of snubs, probably based more on team chemistry than any personal antipathy. We don't have access to the same amount of info the coach has. In a team where it's traditional for the whole to be more than the sum of its parts, it's possible things like locker room attitude, character, etc. influence the choice as much as actual ability on the field. So far I have some issues with JK selection, from my limited POV: too many old players were given too many chances, and several promising young ones were never given the time to integrate in the team. But it's not been terrible. I can live with that, if there is a master tactical plan behind the people who get selected for the final 30. I'm not sure that is the case, though. I'm not sold on Klinsmann yet. Far too many things raise red flags for me. Winning a string of friendlies while not really experimenting with formation, and only using half of the subs, for example. It's not the way I'd have done things.
Freddy actually was a snub early on..He lit it up in the Gold Cup and never got another chance. but now he never plays for club
Funny how much has changed in a year. In 2013 the theme here was that Jurgen was making a mistake bringing Benny into camps when he was being outperformed by Nguyen and Rowe in New England. Lichaj early on had to deal with his injury, then inconsistent playing time at Villa last year after a good 4 month run. Haven't seen enough of him recently at Forrest but it seemed he had a good start early on but the team as a whole has been a bit disappointing. Ream also just got back into being a 90 minute player for Bolton this season. He was barely making the 18 last year at times, and was experimented at LB as well. Some of the names I dunno if we can really call snubs though. Some are guys that are just starting to emerge as candidates now.
Luis Silva was taken 4th overall in the Draft just two years ago by a hapless Toronto FC. They didn't want to trade him but had to in order to make $ room for the brand new overall they made this season. When Silva was traded to D.C. Pontius was hurt with hamstring and the entire backline and most of the midfield consisted of high-school quality players. Despite this, he score a goal in the each of his first thre consecutive games playing in a non-preferred position. Silva has not scored this year because clueless-hack rookie Harrison Shipp red-card stomped on his ankle and put him out for 4-5 weeks. I've watched Silva and Rowe in college and in the MLS closely. They are quality and both have unique strengths that the USMNT could use right now. Regarding the dude that made the Freddy Adu comment, isn't already obvious about Freddy? I mean, he's a fraud. He lied about his age from the start and was never a pro-level player with the physical or mental toughness to play professional soccer. The wiz-kid 14 year-old soccer-ball juggler has expired. It's like saying some streetball/trickshot basketball guy from the 'hood who can make all these trick shots should be signed to a multi-year pro contract in the NBA. Adu is a pussy. He should go to college and get a degree and be relegated to playing recreational indoor or beach soccer somewhere and leave us alone.
Lichaj has been injured since March 1st, and no one knows when he'll be coming back. It didn't seem serious, and everybody expected him back after a couple of weeks. But his return date keeps getting postponed. We might have another Stu Holden in there. He had missed six games in February with another injury too.
Agreed. There was one friendly (forget which) where Benny melted down/threw a temper tantrum after getting knocked about by the opposing players. Watching Benny lose his cool/wave his arms around rather than staying focused on the game, I felt then - he's done with USMNT. A marginal talent has to stay on task, or no point in risking similar loss of focus when it counts. Mix is still the man to beat for that slot.
That was Benny's first match for JK, the start v Venezuela at Cupcake2012. Benny has not had a start since. He has been used as a 65min sub in his other appearances for JK at Cupcake2013 and Cupcake2014. Some have said that the sub role is best for Benny, well he has not done much those chances though in his Cupcake2013 match v Canada he did deliver a few bright spots but as JK said afterwards not enough.
I agree that Feilhaber hasn't impressed in his few US opportunities under Klinsi. As a midfielder, he really needed to show a high-end work-rate or some speed or some muscle to make it with JK. He didn't. He doesn't fit Klinsi's image of the warrior-player. It's a stylistic snub, sort of. JK came up through the German professional system, and he is going to field a very physically robust lineup. It is quite possible that the only players under 6'0" who make the Cup squad will be Donovan, Beasley, and Zusi, all of whom are tremendous workers and two of whom have some speed.
Eric Lichaj is the poster child for the type of (relatively) slow, uncoordinated, unathletic defender (see e.g. his goalline"jump" in our 4-2 Gold Cup loss to Mexico and portfolio of forwards wrong-footing him) that we historically but oddly include on our national teams, usually because there's a huge skill level gap between our obvious starting defenders and the rest of the field. Lichaj's skills don't jump off the screen at you and as a coach and player, JK historically puts a high premium on athleticism...which leaves out Eric. In that regard, I haven't figured out the paradox of why JK gives 18-wheeler Onyewu so many looks...maybe just height + he's not Clarence Goodson?
His goal line jump was actually pretty athletic, the ball was just placed perfectly. He got off the ground pretty well.
Ream and Okugo could have been good additions. Yedlin and Klute were the right age to integrate in the program, instead of calling 28+ year olds with no chance (like Jeff Parke or Rico Clark, or even Gooch and Boca).
I think its the other way around...Lichaj is much more fast athletic than Evans and Parkhurst, and doesn't get shrugged off the way Beasley does sometimes because of size